Savage
by BloodRedDemon
Summary: "Spiritual pressure increases the fastest when the soul is in danger of termination." Urahara Kisuke. So why did nothing change for the terrified orange haired boy who's whole world died in front of him? In this story; it did. Now, Ichigo Kurosaki, a being different to any the Shinigami have met before, is heading to the Soul Society.
1. The Death Of Masaki Kurosaki

**This is my story, Savage. The first Bleach story I'm publishing here, and I hope that you enjoy it.**

**I'll say here that the first couple of chapters are similar to Canon, it has scenes that are new, and some slight variation, but I need the whole Ichigo regaining his Soul Reaper abilities before he rescues Rukia.**

**Ichigo will be more powerful than Canon, though not what I believe to be unreasonably so. **

**I own nothing, and am making no money off this, or any, story.**

**This will contain spoilers, though I would assume everyone reading it will follow Bleach.**

**Any views expressed in this story, especially by Hichigo, do not necessarily mirror my own views.**

**I'll appreciate any reviews, other than what I think are called "Flames". Those will just be ignored.**

**-()-**

Hollow Zangetsu talking: **Spleens taste surprisingly good.**

Old man Zangetsu talking: _Do not hesitate._

? talking: Omnivores eat plants.

**-()-**

A young boy, hair a unique shade of orange, wept underneath the corpse of the most important woman, or, for that matter, person, in his world. The sound muffled into her shoulder as he unconsciously huddled into the final comfort Masaki Kurosaki would be able to grant him.

That was the day that Ichigo Kurosaki; the boy who's world lived and died with his mother, died. And, unknown to any besides the child himself, the day Ichigo Kurosaki; the Human-Soul-Reaper, was born.

* * *

Two months later, the same child sat up with a scream. One of terror. His hands clasped on his head, and he shook, not paying any attention to the crimson liquid that stained them red. He had grown used to the guilt-formed gloves. Blood was on his hands, and the boy doubted that would ever change. How could he redeem himself, after all?

He felt a pair of arms wrap around him; the only suitable occupant giving him comfort; while the remaining 3 looked on with varying degrees of emotion, though little was shown of the feelings that lay beneath their skin. One felt an all consuming sadness that wasn't shown on his regal face, another hid his sympathy behind a half-hearted grin; the kid was strong, normally, but how was he meant to take his revenge in an 8 year old's body? The final figure was not able to understand what was happening; but he could tell that, for some reason, his future wielder was upset. And, so, his crimson eyes glinted with anger and frustration as he could not find the cause in the gravity-defying city in which they resided. It must have still been about the female that perished. The one that was always on the boy's mind.

The boy's shoulders shook as he sobbed into the kind lady's shoulder.

* * *

Almost seven years later, Ichigo Kurosaki stared unflinchingly at the long haired Shinigami in front of him as his body moved without command. It was a sensation he remembered; something he had been shown years ago so that, in the case that it was necessary, he would not fight his partners for control. And so, when Zangetsu, for he assumed it was the old man, moved him no more than a few millimetres to his left, he trusted the spirit implicitly. Even with the months he had gone without _them_.

Ichigo was alive. There was no doubt in the minds of his observers of that, but he was weak. He was human; how could anything else be expected of him? For him to have any chance to save the girl he had grown inexplicably fond of, at least in the minds of three of his occupants, in the months prior. But that would be up to him. They could do nothing to help him from in here, and that was a fact that brought frustrated growls from two of the male spirits, a stony silence from the third, and a sad sigh from the lone female in his mind.

His accessible reserves of Reiryoku, previously filled with solely Ichigo's sizeable reserves and that from the imposter Zanpakuto, was rapidly draining from the Soul Reaper Captain's strike. Their wielder would need to gain access to his latent Death God abilities for the leak to be plugged. Hopefully, that would happen soon; or the storm would not stop any time in the foreseeable future.

As Rukia Kuchiki, the Soul Reaper that more than one of the spirits blamed for this situation, looked back, she would be willing to swear that the amber eyes, of her newly found human partner, looking after her flashed a violent red before the orange haired head dropped to the ground; the removal of his energy leaving Ichigo in an almost catatonic state.

* * *

"... You see, spiritual pressure increases most quickly when the soul is in danger of termination. The fact that you dodged the first attack shows that you have restored your power. And, now that you have restored your spiritual power beautifully, what do you say we celebrate? How about we-"

The man was interrupted by an axe, wielded by the large form of Tessai, swinging down between Kisuke and Ichigo; severing the chain extended from the human soul's chest.

"Move on to lesson two?"

* * *

Five minutes later, the conversation had progressed rather far. Ichigo was lying, face down, on the ground with Tessai sat, at attention, on his back.

"And one more thing; your chain will erode from the point at which it was cut. If it reaches your chest, you will become a Hollow. So what will it be? Will you become a Shinigami? Or will you become a Hollow?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Ichigo asked with a slight grin. "Let's get started."

"Very well." The bucket-hatted man pointed his fan off to the side. "Go."

The ground beneath the floored Plus soul gave way, and the two affected fell; the depth of the hole given away by the panicked, drawn out expletive from Ichigo Kurosaki.

"What the-" Ichigo questioned, as he discovered metal rods had been bent around his arms; binding them behind his back.

"Forgive this arrogance." Tessai, the other in the shaft, said as he noted Ichigo had regained consciousness from the brief spell of his daze. "But for the duration of this lesson, you are forbidden the use of your arms. Bakudo #99: Kin!" The groggy boy's arms locked behind his back, and he gave a surprised grunt.

"Ichigo!" Urahara called from the top of the hole, peering down into the cavern below. "At the bottom of the shattered shaft it will take three days for your chain to deteriorate." The boy at the bottom frowned in confusion. "For this lesson, you're required to climb out without the use of your arms."

"So I'm able to access the powers of a Death God now?" He directed to Tessai, who nodded; rather solemnly. He must have been expecting Ichigo to fail; or at least preparing himself for that possibility. "Oh. That's good."

The orange haired soul plopped down onto the ground, sitting cross legged and closing his eyes.

"No, no Ichigo! You need to climb out!" Kisuke called down, humour in his tone. "Kurosaki?" He continued when the boy did not respond. "Tessai, what's going on?"

"I don't know, boss! He just asked if he could access the powers of a Shinigami now, then started meditating!" The large man yelled up.

"Well nudge him and wake him up!"

"Will do Boss!"

* * *

Meanwhile, time had slowed for Ichigo. Though it was far from obvious from his point of view; the same as it always used to be when he appeared in the backwards world.

"Oi! Old man Zangetsu!" He looked around in front of him. "Hichigo! Ne-"

"Behind you, Ichigo." The older 'Getsu's voice stated, prompting his wielder to spin around and face him, along with the others.

"Ah. It's good to see you all again." Ichigo said with a grin; in what would have been an odd occurrence outside of his inner world. But why hide your relief from 'people' that could read your mind? "How're you doing?"

"We're as good as you are, Ichigo. Though the weather has been rather unpleasant since the female Kuchiki was taken." The oldest-looking of them stated, speaking for the others, too. "Happily, though, it has cleared up for now."

"Great." Ichigo nodded. "Now, what do I need to do to get _my_ powers instead of piggybacking Rukia's?"

"You need to find your Zanpakuto."

"Just the one?" Now that didn't make sense. "I don't understand, why would there just be one of you?"

"It is symbolic, Ichigo. Finding the blade will be finding your Shinigami abilities. The time will come that you will have to convince each of us, in the case that you have yet to fulfil our criteria, properly of your abilities; for Bankai, of course, but that will not be now."

"Oh, okay, I understand." Ichigo nodded. "So where will my sword be? And what are the rules regarding my finding it?"

"It will be in a box somewhere on one of this world's buildings." The tall, black dressed man pointed at one such Skyscraper to emphasise his point. "No rules. Just find the blade."

"Right. And who hid the blade?"

"Why does that matter?" Zangetsu raised an eyebrow; wondering what his wielder meant exactly.

"Well; if it's you, then it will be in the last place I look; the whole 'never give up' thing." Those watching knew that this wasn't meant to belittle the lesson, but that it was just Ichigo's nature to treat it casually. "Hichigo," The name that made it easy to differentiate between the two Zangetsus. "Would just be the first place I looked and he'd be there to fight me before I could get it-"

"Ah, I see your point." Zangetsu responded. "It wasn't hidden by any of us. It is simply there. A manifestation of a part of _you_, not something any of us can control."

"Okay, so it's a matter of my ability to sense that part of myself." The 4 nodded their confirmation. "Then I'll get going." The orange haired man turned to face an unoccupied region of his mind-scape, and pulled up the memory of Uryuu, the arrogant boy from his class. What had he said? Shinigami's soul ribbons were red?

There.

He gripped the ribbon and yanked on the scarlet fabric in one quick motion. Oddly, he felt himself soar forwards instead of the box coming to him. Following the path, Ichigo channelled his Reiatsu into his feet, and vanished in a burst of speed; the technique that Shinigami called Flash Step.

The four figures stayed still in their places, waiting for Ichigo to return. The same thought ran through their minds. Well, the same vague thought.

'Finally, I'm going to be wielded.'

Ichigo returned in a slight flash. He had been gone for no more than 30 seconds; far faster than could be expected.

"Impressive as always, Ichigo." The female occupant commented with a smile. "Not that I find that surprising. We know you better than that by now, after all."

"Thank you, Nejibana."

**-()-**

**One more thing: If I make any mistakes in spelling, I'm very sorry. I couldn't spot any in English, but I'm not good at proof reading for Japanese spelling, because... well, I'm not Japanese and don't speak it.**

**Hope you all enjoyed the first chapter.**


	2. Ichigo Returns

**Not much else to say since the last chapter. **

**I still don't own anything you recognise.**

**Any views expressed in this story, especially by Hichigo, do not necessarily mirror my own views. **

**Also, I do not intend, in any way, to make light of people cutting their wrists.**

**Hope you enjoy the chapter.**

**-()-**

Hollow Zangetsu talking: **Spleens taste surprisingly good.**

Old man Zangetsu talking: _Do not hesitate._

Nejibana talking: Lonely people can swim, too.

**-()-**

Tessai; the former captain of the Kido corps', exiled Shinigami, and worker at Urahara's shop, was poking the downed Kurosaki with the toes of his boot. The boy still wasn't reacting, though. Surprising, since the large man had been nudging him for the past 5 minutes. It was almost like Ichigo was in...

"Jinzeeeeeeee-" A hand lashed out, and grabbed the big man's leg, before its owner stood up and, with a twist of his body, threw the Kido master upwards, and out of the pit; a high pitched scream accompanying the large man's flight.

"What the? Tessai?" Jinta wondered aloud. How had that happened? All that was in there with him was a plus soul. This thought was forcibly confirmed to be incorrect as a voice spoke from behind he, Ururu and Urahara.

"Was the shaft really necessary, Urahara?" A fist slammed into the back of the blonde's head, and he flew forward. The exile let out a panicked yell, which was quickly cut off as he, face first, collided with the wall of the shattered shaft.

"Darn." He uttered as he fell back, and down into the depths of the hole. Then, the shop owner was suddenly climbing out of the hole; having flashed up to the edge while out of the now-shinigami's sight.

"Well, that was an impressive punch Kurosaki-san. And I'm guessing from your attire that you have managed your task. This must be some kind of record." The bucket-hatted man grinned at his self-named apprentice. "Shall we begin lesson three?" He peered at the Zanpakuto that was, once again, taking up the majority of Ichigo's back. Or, more accurately, the sheath of the unnamed sword was.

"Fine. What's this lesson?"

"Simple. Knock the hat off my head." He tapped the rim to reinforce the goal. "And... begin." The boy drew his blade, and scowled when he noticed that the sword was still only a fraction of the length it had been previously. The quiet captain had snapped it when he and Pineapple head came to kidnap Rukia.

'Oh, well. I don't imagine that its a good idea to release so near the two kids.' He commented to himself, and the others that could hear his thoughts. 'I'll have to make do. Hopefully, since it's just knocking the hat off, I'll be able to accomplish it with the hilt.' He blurred forwards, in an impressive show of speed, and swung the broken blade at his opponent; aiming for his head and the hat resting on said man's scalp. But the eccentric man had moved, and his blade swished past his ear.

Kisuke, complete with a grin, took a hold of his cane and it separated into two parts. One, the far more worrying, was a shining blade, while he dropped the other, the disguised sheath, to the floor.

"I thought only Zanpakuto could harm Soul Reapers." Ichigo pointed out, eyeing the thin blade. "What do you hope to achieve with _that_?"

"Oh? I didn't expect you to remember that tidbit just yet, Kurosaki-san. Well, since you've asked: _Awaken, Benehime_!" The blade smoothed out and transformed into a medium sized, elegant blade with a slightly curved hilt and a crimson tassel dangling from the base.

"Hmm..." Ichigo huffed slightly. "Doesn't give away much about its capabilities, that." The boy scowled. Then his face turned to one of confusion when he noticed the pressure of the man's Reiatsu. "Hang on, how are those two not being crushed by your pressure? Releasing should have hurt them, at least."

"Ah. You don't really think I'd miss something so vital when I built my training area, do you Kurosaki-san? I'm insulted." He gave a rather pathetic pout.

"Eh. You seem like a bit of a dumb ass to me, so yeah." The teen shrugged, followed by a cloud appearing over the older man. "But that's good, at least. I can see what I'm capable of out here." He readjusted his grip on the large hilt.

'Any of you particularly want to take this guy?' He asked the residents of his mind.

'**You gonna kill him?**' Hichigo questioned.

'No.'

'**Maim?**'

'No.'

'**Then don't waste my time.**' The Hollow went back to doing whatever he did when Ichigo wasn't paying attention; the human was a bit wary to ask _what_ exactly that was.

Following the sadistic spirit's hope of violence, Nejibana and the old man responded without any particular care either way; neither had any particular blood-thirst; unless their wielder was harmed, that is. Lastly, he heard a growl that could be taken either way, but had a general feel of anger and anticipation. Ichigo tended to understand his last Zanpakuto, and so assumed he had understood the spirit this time, too.

The orange haired Shinigami brought the remnants of his oversized blade to his left arm, and pressed it against his skin.

"_Savage_..." He ran the blade down his flesh, bringing forth blood that ran down his arm. "_Tabigarasu_!"

And a torrent of blue Reiatsu hid Ichigo from those watching's view. When he was uncovered, it left Urahara confused. What he saw was far from the norm for a Shikai form. Instead of the blade repairing itself and changing into a more obvious, and unique, weapon, there were two katanas, one being quite a bit longer than the average and the other a more traditional length, and a single wakizashi now rested on Ichigo's hips. While the orange haired boy was dressed in a sleeveless Kimono. While the attire was not weird, having such plain blades for a Shikai was rather ineffective.

"Where's your Shikai? It cannot be those Katanas, can it?" The ex-captain queried. He must be missing something.

"Right here." Ichigo stated, raising his hands. The captain was even more confused; he really shouldn't have missed that. Those... _gauntlets_ were rather obvious. The crimson, clawed hands extended to cover his forearms up to the elbow, showing defensive capabilities, and had small distortions, implying that it had been moulded onto the forearms underneath and hastily dried. That suggestion was true; as Tabigarasu had taken a form he believed to be pleasant to Ichigo, and ended up taking the unfortunate metaphor of guilt that had since passed. Ichigo was actually quite fond of the weapon now. It allowed him greater freedom than the other Shikais, yet did not sacrifice fighting ability. Destructive capacity and elegance, for sure, but not fighting ability.

The human-turned-Shinigami darted forward with a burst of unrefined Shunpo and appeared in front of Urahara, swinging his, now clenched, fist in an uppercut aimed at the older man's chin. Urahara leapt back, avoiding the attack easily enough, and observed as a ball of, what looked to be, wind shot up before fizzing out a little before the top of the cavern.

"Sing, Benehime!" Urahara announced, and a wave of crimson energy shot towards Ichigo. It was weakened, of course, to reduce the damage that Kisuke expected when it hit. He did not believe that Ichigo knew any speed techniques, after all. So, he missed it when his opponent flash stepped behind him, and entirely missed the same boy drawing back his left fist and jabbing the blonde in his kidneys. He, too, reduced the force as he punched out at the man, and so the ex-Shinigami was only thrown forward a _little_ bit.

"Oof!" Urahara grunted at the impact, but quickly climbed back to his feet once he stopped rolling. "Impressive, Kurosaki-san. But my hat is still on; you will have to do better than that to remove it." The bucket-hat had, indeed, somehow remained on his head.

"Sorry about that." Ichigo shot forwards, in another burst of speed, and swung again, this time aiming for Kisuke's head, in a punch that would have knocked the hat clean off his head, had the ex-captain not known Shunpo too. This time, the semi-transparent ball crashed into a medium sized rock and split it into two equal pieces.

Spinning, Ichigo raised his arm just in time to block a blow from Benehime to his side, the ramrod straight blade bouncing off his raised right arm, just as his left fist struck its wielder in the stomach in a stronger blow that threw him a half dozen feet into the air, allowing Ichigo to capitalize on the opportunity by swiping his fist again and catching the falling man on the head, smashing it, along with the rest of his body, into the rocky terrain below their feet.

As the man lay in a slight slump; not unconscious, but dazed, Ichigo leant down and plucked the hat off his head, leaping back as the other fighter rose to his feet unsteadily and gave a strained, wheezy chuckle.

"Well done, Kurosaki. That was... good. Very good." He waddled over to the human boy holding his hat, and the orange-haired newly-Shinigami handed it back to him. "May I ask how you seem so experienced already? By my reckoning you've had no training at all. Other than the brawling you are well known to partake in; but I doubt that that would teach you to use Shunpo."

"Not training exactly. But I've been talking with my Zanpakutos for... seven years, I think, now. I sparred with them sometimes, and that helped teach me to fight with them." Ichigo explained, with a shrug; not realising that this was abnormal, simply because he had no frame of reference.

"Hang on... Are you saying you have more than one? And how on earth did you speak with them while you were still human?!" The shop keeper exclaimed, losing his composure briefly.

"Yeah, I have three. And I just went into my world while I was asleep?"

"Three?!"

"Well... Three and a half, maybe. One has two swords." Technically, not a lie. Zangetsu did have two blades.

"Wow..." Kisuke said, before muttering. "You're a scary kid, aren't you Ichigo." His instincts were telling him to study the teen in front of him, but he resisted temptation; though he would certainly observe. "Well, let's get to training, shall we?" Kisuke asked, merrily. "After all, we still have ten days."

* * *

Two days later, Ichigo was entirely focused on the training he had been assigned. His fists were, yet again, clad in the crimson gauntlets, and he was stood 200 metres from a cliff face, targets lined up a few metres from said wall. His challenge was to hit the targets, and nothing else. And he was failing spectacularly.

He had never worked much on his aim. Especially not outside of a combat situation; where he would just rely on his well-honed, after such a long time of fighting opponents of a greater calibre than him, instincts.

Now, when he was calm, and able to over think what he was doing, he struggled to so much as get his shots on target, let alone have the perfect amount of Reiatsu in the shot to stop from carrying on the small distance to the wall behind.

Instead, the wall was scarred with cracks and craters, and, although several targets had been obliterated after Ichigo lost control of his infamous temper and sent more force at the dummies than he was supposed to, the points of significance in this particular task were largely untouched.

'Ichigo_,_' Nejibana spoke up. 'Focus on the result, not the action. You know you can hit them; you've done more difficult things before by far. And if that does not work, think about why you are doing this. That is your reason to succeed, and that is why you need this control. Who knows who you will go up against in the Soul Society; if you fail to defeat them, what will happen to your friends_?_'

And Ichigo continued.

* * *

"Well, I believe congratulations are in order, Kurosaki. I was beginning to believe you would never succeed. Let us move onto the next challenge." It had taken Ichigo longer than they had to spare, but at least this would be a valuable skill for his invasion of the Seireitei.

"Now, let us see your abilities with your sealed Zanpakuto." The shop-owner said, jovially, before lunging forward with no further warning; his cane-sword whipping through the air.

Ichigo brought his longest katana, representing Hichigo, up to block the thinner, smaller blade with a frustrated snarl; he could really use a rest.

* * *

"Fireworks festival! Fireworks festival! FIREWORKS FESTIVAAAAL! Isn't this exciting?! We're finally here at the FIREWORKS FESTIVAL!" Keigo exclaimed, as he danced around the crowd of Ichigo's family and friends.

"Wow, you're really enthusiastic." Mizuiro commented.

"Who wouldn't be?! We get to watch things EXPLODE!"

"Hey, don't forget about me!" Isshin Kurosaki interjected with a grin. "I camped out over there all night to get the very best seats!" He pointed at the pavement. A good spot, sure, but Ichigo _really_ doubted that it was worth camping out for. After all, the point of fireworks is that they are visible from a distance, right? And this display was built for people as enthusiastic as Keigo; of course the explosions would be large enough to not require such close seating.

"All right! Let's go!"

"What about you lovely ladies?" Isshin asked Orihime and Tatsuki, with a goofy grin that understandably made the two look a little unnerved. "You wanna join us?"

"Umm, we'll come along later..." Tatsuki replied.

"Suit yourself." The eldest Kurosaki took off at a run, leaving the others, excluding the aforementioned girls, and his son, to take off in pursuit.

"Embarrassing." Ichigo commented. "But I might as well follow them." He turned to face the black haired girl. "Sorry 'bout that, Tatsuki. They're always like that."

"I know, Ichigo. I've met your father before, and I _do_ go to school with Keigo." She replied, slightly amused at their antics and the lack of real reaction coming from Ichigo, who had built up an immunity to their idiocy over the years.

"Well, you don't have to come if you don't want to, y'know. I'm sure you'd enjoy it more without their... antics."

"No, no. We want to come, right Orihime?" She spoke, waving off the suggestion.

"Yep! It sounds fun!" The enthusiastic, though less so than the recently exited group, girl replied happily.

"We'll join you later, Ichigo." The lean girl smiled at her oldest friend, before he responded in kind.

"Okay, I'll see you later then. Congrats again on your tournament Tatsuki." He grinned at the girl, before taking off at a jog after his family, leaving two girls, one obviously happy to see that Ichigo was back out of his funk, and the other rapidly reddening at seeing her long-time crush with such a charming expression, in his wake. While he did see them later on in the day, he left them to their own devices; they had seemed to be discussing something private, and he made an incorrect assumption, based on earlier misconceptions. Ichigo did, however, walk them home; with not so subtle praises coming from his father at being 'SUCH A GENTLEMAN! I RAISED YOU WELL, ICHIGO!', at which the not-quite-human just pretended he had never met the crazy man before in his life.

They had been walking for only a few minutes before Ichigo noticed something strange.

"Umm... Inoue?" Ichigo asked, as he and Tatsuki noticed the very strange fact that Orihime was stood with her eyes closed and her head drooped back. "The hell?"

"I think she's asleep." Tatsuki commented, as she heard the steady and heavy breathing of her friend.

"Uh, right." Ichigo agreed, confusedly. "Does she sleep standing up often?"

"Not that I'm aware of." Tatsuki shrugged. "But I can't say I'd be shocked to find out she did." It would just be another addition to the list of Orihime Inoue's quirks.

"Well... should we wake her up?"

"No, she must be exhausted to have fallen asleep like this." The second strongest girl in Japan commented. "I'm sure that between us we can comfortably support her. If we go to her house first, it shouldn't take more than 5 minutes or so."

"We? Are you forgetting your arm, Tatsuki? I don't think you're in the position to carry anyone." The raven haired girl glare at the offending limb, annoyed with the disability.

"Fine, then you can carry her. It should be easy enough for you, after all." And she was right, Ichigo's strength was obvious by now; the training of the last week only the icing on the cake in regards to the boy's lean muscles.

"Uh, right. If you're sure." It was well known how Tatsuki tended to react to anyone who touched Orihime; one of the causes of Ichigo's confusion regarding the girls in front of him. The orange-haired male easily knocked Orihime's knees out from under her and lifted her smoothly into his arms; in the manner that one would carry a baby, or; as came to Tatsuki's mind, a bride. That was a thought that inexplicably aggravated the girl. The thought of Ichigo and bride in a sentence felt... wrong, somehow.

Moving on silently, so as to avoid waking the sleeping girl, Ichigo and Tatsuki quickly reached Orihime's apartment. Ichigo crept up the stairs to her door, following Tatsuki to the entrance, and addressed the still conscious girl.

"You have a key, right?" He whispered to her.

"Yes, it's just... here." She fumbled with her key ring briefly before finding the correct key. She unlocked the door and walked in with the confidence that came with familiarity, immediately finding the light switch and flicking it on.

'Not surprising that she know her way round Inoue's place though, is it?' Ichigo thought.

"Just put her in here, Ichigo." Tatsuki pointed at one of the doors, evidently Orihime's room, and Ichigo quickly crossed inside, pointedly ignoring the fact that Inoue seemed to have _snuggled_ into him a little. He moved into the room and gently laid the smaller figure onto the comfy-looking bed.

He exited the room immediately, not wanting to risk the wrath of the still conscious girl, and found Tatsuki waiting back next to the light-switch she had turned on when the trio had entered. He frowned a little as he saw her attempt to stifle a yawn, and asked the question he considered to be obvious.

"Tatsuki, why don't you just stay here with Inoue?" The girl looked a little confused. "If it's about me telling anyone, you don't have to worry."

"Because... that would be inconsiderate? I've told my parents that I'd be home, and I don't want to impose on Orihime when my house isn't that far away to walk." She frowned, assuming he simply did not want to walk further out of his way. "But I don't mind if you'd rather head home; I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

"No, that's not it." Ichigo reassured his friend. "I just thought it was weird that you two weren't staying together." He shrugged as the two left Orihime's apartment. "I'd have thought you'd want to stay with each other since Inoue's going to see her family, I think. Y'know, get some last time in together before you have to spend some apart."

"So?" Tatsuki asked. "Why would it matter that we're spending some time apart?"

"Um, I was just under the impression that would cause the two of you duress?" He half-asked half-said, not quite knowing how to phrase it. "'Cause you can normally... uh, _see_ each other every day."

"O...kay?" Tatsuki responded, though she was very confused. It seemed like Ichigo was implying something, though she wasn't sure what. "But that's not exactly something that would cause us 'duress', is it?"

"I would have thought so, but I'm not exactly experienced in these matters." Ichigo said, feeling rather awkward with the conversation he was having.

"Not experienced? You have quite a few friends. More than me, at least." They hung out with a largely male group, after all. Maybe he didn't have more people that he considered friends, but Ichigo's odd charisma meant he had far more who considered him to be their friend than she. "I mean; I really doubt you would be particularly upset it you couldn't see Keigo for a few weeks, would you?"

"No, but that _really_ isn't the same thing." Ichigo responded, with a shudder of revulsion at the thought.

"How do you figure that? Of course, me and Orihime are closer than you and Keigo; but there isn't _that_ much difference. You two are still friends."

"Well, yeah... but I'm straight." Ichigo said, rather confused at the comparison. "Not that there's anything wrong with being gay, of course." He added hastily. "It just means that mine and any guy's friendship couldn't be comparable to your two's."

"What do you mean? What does that have to do with..." Tatsuki's eyes widened as she trailed off. "Wait... Ichigo, do you think I'm gay?" She asked, shocked.

"Uh... Yes?" Ichigo responded, confused once more.

"What?! Why would you think that?!"

"...Because you're dating Inoue?" He, again, half asked.

"What?! No I'm not!"

"Really?" Ichigo looked thoughtful for a second. "Huh."

"'Huh'? That's all you have to say?!" She snapped at him.

"What else would I say?"

"How about an apology?"

"Okay. Tatsuki." He turned to face the girl. "I sincerely apologise if I caused you any offence by implying that you are a lesbian. I didn't mean to, and that type of thing would never change my opinion of you, or Orihime." Ichigo said, with an entirely straight face. "Is that good enough?" She nodded absent-mindedly.

"Wait... Is that what you meant by 'you wouldn't tell anyone'? That you thought we were _sleeping_ together?!"

"Well... yes." He cringed at the slight look of horror on her face. "I'm sorry! I just assumed that, since you spent so much time together..." Both participants of the conversation were rapidly turning red at this point. "But, like I said, I would _never_ condemn the two of you for doing something like that, so please don't think I was judging you. I mean it's not like-" He cut himself off. "I mean, I'm not one to- No, uh... You're both... I'm just going to stop talking." Tatsuki looked curiously, with a hint of amusement, up at Ichigo, despite her face still resembling _his_ namesake.

"No, no. Please finish your sentences. What aren't you? What are we? And what is it not like?" The male's face was reddening even more as he mumbled something inaudible. "Pardon?"

"I was going to say that- Oh, look, it's your house. Here we are." He gestured to the home of his oldest friend and picked up his pace.

"Come on Ichigo; tell me what we are." She requested as she matched the new found speed. However, the two quickly arrived at her doorway, and he said goodbye.

"I'll see you soon, Tatsuki. Hope you have a good holiday." He began moving away, before the girl's voice reached his ears again.

"Thanks for walking us home, Ichigo. And thanks for what I'm going to take as a compliment." Tatsuki assumed that he had been implying, from the half sentences, she and Orihime were attractive. Maybe that he could not blame them for giving into that temptation?

"It was my pleasure, g'night Tatsuki." He called back. "And yeah, they were compliments."

The blue eyed girl fell asleep with a smile on her face. A contrast to Ichigo's fate for the night.

* * *

"Yo, Hat 'n' Sandals?" The orange haired, living Shinigami called out as he entered the store; looking for the man that had sent him a message to be here... well, now. "Anyone home?!"

"Ah, Kurosaki-san." A voice spoke from behind him.

"Bah! What the hell?" Kisuke was behind him. "How'd you do that?"

"A magician never reveals his secrets, young Ichigo. Remember that." He smirked at the obviously annoyed Soul-Reaper. "Now, come back out. I think that your friends will be arriving shortly.

"My friends? What do you mean?"

* * *

"A talking cat?! What the hell?! A cat just spoke to me!"

"His name is Yoruichi, and he's not an ordinary cat." Orihime, who the talking cat had gone to fetch, spoke up; cradling the shape shifter in her arms as she spoke.

"It's understandable for him to have trouble with it. A talking cat is certainly strange." Uryuu commented.

"Aye. I'm still having trouble adjusting to it myself." Chad agreed, in a rumbling tone.

"Right, right!" Urahara interrupted the conversation. "Let's take this inside, there are things we can't discuss out here, in the open!" He said, in his slightly childish tone.

He received grunts of agreement from two of the males, while Orihime and Ichigo both lagged back a little. Increased further by the orange-haired male speaking up.

"Inoue," The busty girl turned a little towards Ichigo. "Are you sure about this? It's going to be dangerous." He said, a concerned frown on his face.

"Don't worry Ichigo; Rukia is my friend too, I know what I'm getting into. I gave you my promise, and so I'm going with you." Orihime moved a little towards the shop entrance. "And I... I gave my promise to Tatsuki that I'd come back to her." She darted into the shop.

'**And the Karate-girl was surprised you thought she was a dyke? When Tits goes around sayin' stuff like that?**'

'Don't talk about them like that, Hichigo.' Ichigo responded. 'But I agree with the general message, sans insults. That sounds weird for a _friend_ to say.'

The boy followed after his friends, and quickly crossed the door's threshold.

* * *

"Wooow!" Orihime exclaimed as the group reached the bottom of the ladder; now in the large cavern underneath the 'candy store'. "It's so cooool! So humongous! Awesome!"

"I guess." Ichigo commented, eyeing the busty girl worriedly at the look of awe she held. A look that increased as Tessai began thanking her profusely for the comment.

"Let's get down to business now, Kurosaki and Kurosaki's friends!" Urahara exclaimed, jovially. "Everyone look over here!" The man was stood in front of a large stone square. "This here's a Senkaimon, the entrance to the Soul Society. You need to listen closely as I tell you how to travel through. But first..." The green-dressed man raised his cane, butt pointed at Ichigo, and whacked the human-Shinigami with it, expelling the soul from his body.

"Oi! How about a little warning before you do that?!" Ichigo barked at Kisuke.

"Oh, wow!" Orihime exclaimed, once again amazed. "That was cool! So Ichigo, you're no longer inside this Ichigo anymore?!"

"I'm not a doll with interchangeable outfits, Orihime." Ichigo commented as she continually prodded at the still body.

"Alright, listen up. Unlike normal gates, this one has a spirit-particle conversion machine." At the questioning looks, he elaborated. "Ordinarily, only something in spirit-form can travel through the tunnel; simply because the Soul Society is a spirit world. The conversion machine will turn you three," He pointed his stick at Chad, Orihime and Uryu. "Into spirits as well."

"So you're saying that this gate will allows us to travel into the Soul Society without extracting our souls." Uryu clarified.

"Yes, and it will allow you to stay in your current forms." The group nodded. "But," He spoke again, with a Cheshire cat grin. "There's a catch... the window of time the gate can be kept open for you is only... four minutes long." The man said, pausing twice for dramatic effect. The group gained worried expressions.

"But... is that enough time?" Ichigo asked him.

"Ordinarily? No." The boy sweat dropped. "In fact, the whole scheme's a little shaky, but four minutes with the gate is all I can give you. Afterthat, the gate will close and any who have not made it through will be trapped forever in he Dangai; the precipice world between the Human World and the Soul Society."

"But... how will we make it?" Orihime asked, fearfully.

"Go forward. You must have no doubt, no fear, do not think of those you are leaving behind." The masculine voice of Yoruichi spoke up. "The will to go forward will be your guide. And don't look back. Only those who can do these things can follow me through the gate and survive."

"When do we leave?" Ichigo asked. "I know this. And am not afraid, I'm pretty sure these guys know it too, or they wouldn't be here."

"Do you understand that, if you fail in this endeavour, you will never be able to return to this world?"

"Then all I need to do is win." Ichigo said, calmly, and the cat responded with what seemed to be a smirk.

"Exactly."

* * *

"Are you all ready? Once it opens, you need to go immediately." Urahara was slightly more serious now, but Ichigo, for one was not concentrating. One of the voices had spoken up before Kisuke began speaking; Nejibana's logic was almost annoying; it was _difficult_, to say the least, to ignore. And he wasn't sure he _wanted_ to ignore it.

'Ichigo... I don't understand what you are doing.' She told her wielder.

'What do you mean, Nejbana?' She had brought this up suddenly, whatever it was she meant.

'Going in to the Soul Society with your friends. I don't believe it will end well.' Ichigo's brow sank into a frown.

'I won't leave Rukia to be executed for helping me, Nejibana. For _saving my sisters_. Whatever you say, you won't be able to convince me to leave her to that fate.'

'I was not trying to, Ichigo.' She said, with a sigh. 'I know that would be a pointless exercise. What I meant, was that you may well be sacrificing one friend for another. Your friends are strong, but if they run into someone like the man that came to get Rukia, what do you think the outcome of that fight would be? I know you, Ichigo. If that happened, the storm would last for too long. You would never forgive yourself.' Ichigo heard Old man Zangetsu voice his agreement.

'_You are strong, Ichigo. You will survive this with our help, but you would not survive the aftermath if you led those three to their deaths._' The spirit confirmed. '_We have plenty long enough to reach the girl; if you trust in yourself, then your friends' presence would make virtually no difference in the battle ahead._' He, along with the others, felt Ichigo prepare to interrupt. '_I know that they will be disgruntled by being left behind, Ichigo, but it is for the best. If you are so worried about their reaction, imagine the reaction of the rest of your friends and your sisters when they found out that you got them killed._' It was a harsh thing to say, but Zangetsu knew that that one statement would secure Ichigo's agreement, and, therefore, his future happiness. It was their job to protect Ichigo from himself, too, after all.

'... okay. Okay, I'll go without them.' This was going to be unpleasant when he returned; the three would not be happy. 'Do you think I should take the cat?' He looked down at Yoruichi.

'_Yes. It seems to know the Soul Society well. Having a guide will, no doubt, be beneficial. It would be a great hindrance to your cause if you could not find Rukia, would it not? Besides, I have a feeling that there is more to the cat than meets the eye. It may be useful to have with us in the Soul Society if it somehow is capable in the ways of fighting. Or, as is more likely, stealth.'_

'Alright then.' Ichigo said, blowing an audible breath out of his mouth in slight frustration at what he was to do next.

As Kisuke Urahara finished his speech prior to sending those in front of him through the portal-gate, his eyebrows raised as he felt the reiatsu of Kurosaki raise minutely and focus on his legs. Why would he need Shunpo? In a muted flash, Ichigo vanished from the spot he had previously been occupying, and the bucket-hatted man's eyes subtly darted around; searching for the boy turned Death God. Imagine his surprise when he found the boy.

Ichigo held a sheath in one hand, and his Wakizashi in the other, as he stood behind his companions. With two quiet thuds, the sheath and the hilt of the sword _bonked_ into the back of Chad and Uryu's head, sending the pair of males to the ground unconscious quickly; not even giving them time to know what had happened to render them unconscious. Next, and with more hesitation than he had given the other two, Ichigo moved to Orihime, and the sheath swung again, whacking Inoue on her head. Ichigo, presumably in an attempt to rectify the situation, caught her before she had even started to fall and lay her softly, and cautiously, on the ground, and then placed a hand against her head; a green glow coming from the palm and a mild healing Kido being cast on the very small lump that was beginning to form on the back of the orange haired girl's head.

"Kurosaki-san? Why did you do that?" Urahara remained cheerful as he asked, though his left hand, which had previously been free for him to gesture extravagantly towards the gate, now joined his right on the cane-sword as a precaution.

"My Zanpakuto made a good point. It's stupid to bring them on this trip. There is a very real possibility that they would perish; and that's something that I want to avoid if at all possible." He frowned at the older man. "Don't worry; them remaining in this world won't hinder the mission. Whatever stakes you hold in her rescue; 'cause I don't believe that you are doing all this for a simple Gigai, you can rest assured that I'll still get Rukia back." Ichigo said, ignoring the insulted gasp that Urahara gave for his slight accusation. "Hey, whatever it is; I don't particularly care. You're helping me rescue my friend, and that's good enough for me."

"Well, I never... accusing me of deceit. I've been nothing but honest with him." Kisuke grumbled. "Fine, fine. I believe the gate is about to open." As he turned to look at the gate, the slight blue light that had been growing from it suddenly pulsed, and became a bright white light. "And off you go!" The shop owner's voice followed Ichigo as he scooped up Yoruichi and ran into the gate. "Goood luuuck!"

**-()-**

**Just like to say; the Tatsuki-Orihime thing did confuse me when I saw it. It seemed... romantic?**


	3. The Gatekeeper

"Yoruichi! What the hell is that?!" Ichigo shouted at the cat sat on his shoulder, as he sprinted down the dark corridor of the Dangai. He could feel _something_ behind him; approaching fast. And _dear God_ was it unsettling.

"It's the cleaner and it does what it says on the tin; once a week it comes through the precipice world to clear out anything that happens to be here." The cat had an annoying habit of remaining _too_ calm, like the blasted shop keeper, though thankfully to a more tolerable extent; as was shown by her next statement.. "If it touches us, we will be lost forever, why does it have to be today?!" Yoruichi hissed in frustration, claws digging into Ichigo's shoulder slightly. "Faster, Ichigo!" Not even bothering to snap back at the feline for ordering him about, Ichigo did what he was told; the world turning to a blur as the orange haired teen, with the black cat perched on his upper back, raced along.

"That's good Ichigo. Keep it up!" The cat encouraged. "I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!" The pair approached the entrance to the soul society as the train-like cleaner lagged behind. "Well done, Ichigoooooo!" The last word was dragged out as the sprinting boy crossed the threshold into the Spirit World. Apparently Urahara had managed to situate the exit to the tunnel several hundred feet up.

"Ugh." Ichigo grunted as he stood back up, having landed awkwardly. "Bastard Hat 'n' Sandals. What a Dick; could've at least spent a couple of extra minutes to give us a decent exit, I bet he just got distracted by a shiny object they thought was a coin like the stingy bastard he is. Oi, Yoruichi," He turned, looking for the cat, and found it gingerly sitting, licking at one of its front paws. "You alright?" It ignored him, barely sparing the Shinigami-garbed boy a glance before going back to the job at hand. "Okay, then. Remind me to kick his ass when we get back, will ya?"

"My sentiments exactly, Ichigo. I will make sure to assist you, in fact, once we return, but let us get going before our entrance attracts attention from the wrong sorts."

"You mean Shinigami, I'm guessing." What else would give them trouble? But he felt the need to check that was the case, nonetheless.

"Hai. Come, let's get going." Yoruichi hopped onto the awaiting shoulder of her taxi. "This way." The feline pointed its tail off into the distance, towards a clump of trees, located behind a Rukongai village.

"Right. You on safely?"

"Yes. Let's get going, Ichigo; the longer we're here, the greater the risk becomes." The orange haired boy nodded, and vanished from sight in a slight flash of light.

* * *

"Hey, Yoruichi," Ichigo asked, as they wandered even deeper into the trees. "Where are we going, exactly?"

"Hmm?" The cat replied, having been sleeping; taking the nap of its kind. "Oh, we're heading to a small town. It's not too far, but it's ideal for what we want to do next."

"What we want to do?" Ichigo replied with a slight frown of confusion.

"Get into the Seretei, of course." Yoruichi answered with a tone that suggested it really should be obvious to him.

"'Seretei'?" Again, Ichigo asked. "What the Hell is 'the Seretei'?!"

"You mean you don't know?!"

"Why would I ask if I knew?!" Ichigo snapped.

"_Ten days_ and Kisuke did not see fit to take a few minutes to explain the structure of the place you would be invading?!" The cat exclaimed, irritated. "Fine then," Her tail pointed of to the side. "I will tell you the information you need over in that clearing."

"What clearing?" Ichigo had turned to walk over to the aforementioned area, but could not see even a gap in the trees.

"Just trust me; I know these woods well. It's one of the many places I used to train..."

* * *

"... Thank you for telling me this, Yoruichi." Ichigo said, only a slight waver in his tone from the shock of his recent lecture. "So the summary is that we are going to one of those... gates? Right?"

"Yes. That is right."

"And... the white road gate? You sounded like you were more willing to face off against Jidanbo than the others."

"Huh?" Yoruichi looked surprised. "I did not expect you to pick up on that, Ichigo." The cat commented. "You are more perceptive than I thought. Yes, I would rather fight Jidanbo than any of the others. I believe that he will be more willing to let us in without the necessity of killing him. The others, I firmly believe, would not accept defeat as a reason to let us pass, but Jidanbo thinks that that s required for his honour as a gatekeeper. Killing one of their most prophilic soldiers would draw undue attention onto us, and we do not need it so soon; even if it is just about inevitable for you to be found out and pursued eventually."

"So how long will it take for us to reach the West gate, then?"

"Hmm. If we leave now, we aught to reach the gate before nightfall. Assuming we adopt a brisk pace, that is."

"_We_? Does that mean you will be walking this time?" Ichigo replied, with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course not." Yoruichi snorted. "I am injured from Urahara's idiocy; it would be a social fo pah, at best, for you to let me walk myself. Now, up you get, Ichigo! We have a lot of ground to cover today." The cat whacked him with its tail. But Ichigo noticed its look. He didn't understand it, of course, but he certainly noticed it.

"Fine." He pushed himself to his feet, before leaning his shoulder down slightly to give Yoruichi better access. "Get on then."

"With pleasure." The cat winked at him.

'Weird. I wonder what that was about.'

* * *

"Ah. We're nearing the gate, Ichigo." Yoruichi said, from its position curled around Ichgo's neck. "You should slow down." The boy stopped flash stepping along the path and slowed to a brisk jog.

"Okay, and where will the gate come down?" Ichigo wondered aloud to the cat.

"Just past this town. This is district 1, so there should be no trouble as we pass through."

"Alright. Are you going to get down, or are cat-scarves the trend for Soul Reapers?"

"They aren't usually, no. But Jidanbo will know you have no authorisation to pass through. If you don't fight and defeat him; he will contact a high ranking officer to investigate. That will lead to exposure. Basically, it means that we're better of fighting the giant."

"Right." Ichigo's attention was wrenched away from their conversation as he spotted a sight to behold in the distance. "Hey, Yoruichi," He pointed to the much more classy area of the Soul Society. "Is that the Seretei?"

"Hai. That's the place." Ichigo could hear a smirk in his companion's tone. "And you best get ready for a fight. Right about... _now_." The two were approaching the cleaner, more polished stone, when the cat said this. Giving Ichigo just enough time to leap back before a massive chunk of blue-silver stone, forming what appeared to be a wall, slammed down no more than a foot in front of his previous position. It sent a billowing cloud of dust into the air in front of Ichigo and Yoruichi; who decided this was the perfect time to vacate her position on Ichigo's neck. Coughing slightly, from the dry, irritating dust, Ichigo quietened as he heard a booming voice proclaim.

"Well, it has been a long time since someone tried to breach the Seireitei Gate without a travel permit. You're a rare guest. Welcome, kid!" He smirked condescendingly at the boy in front of him. "Or do you prefer dandelion head?" Had Yoruichi have been noticed by the man, he may have observed a hint of amusement in the feline's expression. While the Human world resident was aware that Jidanbo was a strong opponent; potentially giving a couple of Liuetenants a run for their money, she had seen Ichigo fighting Kisuke when he was training. And had noticed... _something_ about him, and the way he had been acting, that told Yoruichi _this_ Ichigo was not the same as the one she had seen several times in the years prior, when Urahara sent her to check on Isshin and his kids. Him and his Zanpakuto... they had a very strange closeness. Yoruichi knew, like just about every other soul reaper, that those who wanted to master the arts of their blades had to utilise the greatest teacher available; the Zanpakuto spirits themselves. And those taught by such amazing mentors were never slouches in _any_ of their abilities. The feline could count on its paws the number of people _rumoured_ to have trained in their inner world. And that number included some seriously strong people.

And yet... none were as _unique_ as the boy... no, that wasn't right. At this point; the carrot top teen in front of her no longer even looked the way he had when they set out, a phenomenon she guessed to be the work of all that time in his inner world; where time moves far more slowly. That, and the look on his face; the look of a _warrior_, told her that term did not fit Ichigo Kurosaki. None were as unique as the _man_ in front of her.

To paraphrase her old friend; Ichigo was one scary bastard.

And Jidanbo just called him a dandelion.

Meanwhile, the man in question was having an internal debate.

'**If you ain't gonna kill 'im, at **_**least**_** hit 'im with a Cero! Where's your sense of fun?!**' His inner Hollow whined.

'Look. I'm sure I'll be using your blade soon enough. There are some tough opponents in there; and you'll be very effective in the fights that need me to do some real damage to them. But _this guy_? You expect me to go all out on him?! Why?'

'_**Because... **_**Because... Oh, fine! It's 'cus I'm bored! B-O-R-D Bored!**'

'That isn't how you spell Bored.'

'**Oh, shut up Nejibana! C'mon Kiiing! Let me kill somethin'! I don't give a shit if he's 'worthy of your blade'; as the grumpy Bastard is so fond of telling you. I just want some blood!'**

'_Ichigo._' Old man Zangetsu spoke up. '_To be clear; I only believe that that is the case for our releases. As much as I like to see Hichigo disappointed, none of us want you to risk your safety for the sake of 'preserving our honour'. Especially not through an unwillingness to release use your sword. I do not believe that it is right for you to use your Shikai, or Bankai once you achieve it, against weaklings simply because that is a hindrance to _you_. Not only does it take energy; it will make it far more well known what those 'trump cards' someone finds a weakness you could get hurt. it is our duty to do everything we can to _ensure_ your safety; whether or not Hichigo shows it._'

'Right. So, is it agreed that won't use any of your releases against someone like this?'

An affirmative sound.

'Of course, Ichigo-sama.'

'_I agree Ichigo._'

'**... Oh, fine! But at least get in some fights with these 'higher calibre opponents' soon!**'

'I'm sure we will, Hichigo.' Ichigo reassured the sadistic spirit. 'Just think of it; hundreds of Soul Reapers waiting on the other side of that gat, just waiting for us to fight them.' He appeased the Hollow.

'**... Well then, what are we waitin' for?! Let's get through this guy and move onto those fuckwads!**'

'There now. That's the spirit.' Ichigo turned his attention back to the giant ahead of him. He was still rambling, but at least now he had shown an interest in actually fighting and not just giving the indifferent figure of Ichigo a lecture; he now had an axe resting in his hand, and was looking down on Ichigo. Both literally and metaphorically.

"...As you are a lowly country bumpkin; I will do you a favour, and give you a free lesson on manners in these parts. I wouldn't want you dishonouring my town through your pathetic manners, after all.

"First; when you return from outside, wash your hands." Jidanbo said, stern expression and all.

"Second; don't eat food that's fallen on the floor."

'**Well, it's settled, then, he's a dumbass. Why would we need to be **_**told**_** that?!**'

'And third; when you are in a fight... it is one on one."

'I wonder if he's just used to multiple people trying to get through the gate and felt the need to say it out habit. Why else would he tell me ths shit?' Ichigo commented silently.

"Luckily, since you are the only one here, Kid, we don't have to worry about that last rule." Jidanbo continued, only to notice his opponent' apparent lack of interest. "Oi! When someone s talking to you," The large man raised his one handed axe. "You LISTEN!" H brought the massive axe down in a hammer blow; right on top of the spot Ichigo was occupying... or had been, as t turned out.

"Oi, oi! Watch what you're doing, big man. That could'a killed me!" Ichigo was stood a foot to the side, scowling at the axe, now embedded in the stone floor.

'What the?!..." Jidanbo frowned, confused, at his axe. He obviously didn't understand how he had missed. "Oh, I get it! It must've been one of those... one of those... gusts of wind! Yep, a gust of wind must have blown my axe of course! You're a lucky kid! You have time to give a quick prayer to Kami." A giant smirk appeared on the to-scale face.

"Isn't it bad manners to attack before your opponent is ready, Gatekeeper? Or are you a country bumpkin too?"

"Well, you are a lucky one, Kid. It's been decades since someone's survived my first strike; even if this was only due to your good luck. But, be warned! Nobody has ever survived my second!" The giant man lifted his axe again. "Jippon Jidanda Matsuri!" The axe swung again. "One!" And again. "Two!" Dust billowed to even Jidanbo's chest level. "Three! Four! Five!" The vertical chops gave loud _Bangs _and _Crunches_ as t smashed into the floor over and over again. "Six! Eight! Seven! Six! Four! Nine! Seven! Eight!"

'Should I let him know he's past 10 already?' Ichigo wondered, before dismissing it with a thought of 'Eh, I'm sure he'll figure it out eventually.'

"Hah! As I said," Jidanbo began as the dust settled, after he had stopped swinging the axe wildly. "There isn't even any remains of the Kid left." The giant smirked at the empty ground; not noting the fact that there was no gore to go along with Ichigo supposedly being obliterated.

"Ahem." A voice from behind Jidanbo coughed.

"Hmm?" The Gatekeeper turned to find the source of that mysterious noise. "What the?! How'd you survive, candy-head?!"

"Survive? I survived by not being hit by an attack that would be too weak to hurt me anyway. If that was your best; you aught to give up now."

"My best?" Jidanbo snorted. "You haven't seen anything yet!" The man reached into his Kimono and drew a second axe, identical to the first. "Prepare yourself for... Banzai Jidando Matsuri!" He raised his blades. "Rahh!" He brought the two gargantuan axes down in a blur, and Ichigo yawned pointedly.

"Sorry, bud. But I don't have the time, and definitely not the patience, to let you keep tryin' to hit me. I'll make sure to leave one of your weapons intact though; so don't worry."

The orange haired non-Shinigami darted forward, briefly vanishing from his gigantic opponent's view. When he reappeared, two of his blades; the longest Katana and the Wakizashi, were drawn, and he himself was in mid air. The swords, both over Ichio's head, descended with startling speed; and Ichigo smirked. The giant barely even saw it coming, before the axe shattered into a thousand shards as it gave way under a pair of Zanpakuto. Once again, Ichigo vanished from sight in a flash of light.

"Eep!" He felt the cold touch of steel, suddenly, against his throat.

"You done?" The cold face of Ichigo Kurosaki, stood in mid air, asked his so-called-opponent. The massive head nodded. "Good. Drop your other axe." The behemoth of a weapon dropped to the ground with an echoing _thud_, and the orange haired man descended to the floor below. "Okay, now will you please open the gate?"

"Y-You're not going to kill me? Really?"

"Of course not. Why would take your life? You're just doing your job. And as a Gatekeper, I'm sure you'll let me in now."

"Y-Yes! Yes, that is what is required for me. By my honour as a Gatekeeper I will open the gate for you!" The big man teared up, but turned away in time to compose himself. "Stand back, my friend!" He squatted down next to the metal-lined segment of the wall; signalling that that was the entrance. While he was straining, huffing and puffing, Ichigo quickly flash stepped over to the observing feline.

"Well done, Kurosaki-san." Yoruichi's masculine voice commented. "But do not grow complacent; Jidanbo was just the first of many opponents you will be required to face before this journey is done."

"Of course, Yoruichi. Thankfully, however, I won't need them conscious at the end of our fight to open a big ass gate, will I?"

"I suppose not." The cat smirked at Ichigo. It was good for him to take that approach if he wanted to win this.

* * *

"That was fortunate for us, Ichigo. Had it been earlier in the day, we may well have run into a few patrols or, God forbid, a captain of the court guard squads." The two were now in a sde alley off from the main road. "Now, Ichgio, sit down. We both need to get some sleep to be prepared for the morning and any combat it may bring."

"Right. I _could_ use some sleep." Ichigo admitted, just as another yawn threatened to expel from him. And for that reason, Ichigo sumped against the wall and dropped to the ground. "So. what are we going to do tomor-oomph." The black cat hopped onto his lap, surprising Ichigo briefly before he shrugged. That behaviour was commonplace for cats, after all. "What are we going to do tomorrow?" Ichigo continued.

"We'll be making our way, indirectly, East. That is probably where Rukia is being kept. However, we'll have to find someone to confirm that for us, lest we waste too much time on the trip. amd lose the opportunity to do what we need to." The cat, having been facing the opposite wall, turned to face Ichigo. "Tell me; how far are you from Bankai?" The cat would have raised an eyebrow, if cats had eyebrows to raise, that is.

"On which blade?" Ichigo replied. "They have different criterea, after all."

"Let's say Zangetsu." Yoruichi shrugged.

"They're the furthest. I have to fight them both to a standstill out in the real world; so that they can test my true strength against theirs'. Something about the fact that we fight differently in my inner world."

"Is that so?" The cat frowned. "Not surprising; the 'Getsus' are combt type. They _would_ want you to prove yourself properly in combat." Ichigo nodded in response. "Well, what about your others. Nejibana?" She had heard from Urahara some theorys about how Ichigo possessed the Zanpakuto of a long-since deceased Shinigami. The most promising was that of him being a reincarnated form of Kaien Shiba, and the previously though impossibly short time between Kaien's death and Ichigo's birth. Nejibana had simply stayed attached to the soul; and so was still a part of Ichigo.

"Hang on... I'll need to ask Nejibana herself, she's never been all too clear about that."

'Nejibana?'

'Hai, Ichigo-sama?'

'Firstly, please stop calling me that.' He had asked countless times, but he was uncomfortable with the honorific. 'And may I ask how I am to achieve your Bankai?' An odd sensation came over Ichigo. It was coming from the female spirit, but wasn't one of the ones that he had felt from her, or any of the others, before.

'If you come in here, and visit, I guess I can tell you.' She sounded... shy.

'... Okay. Thank you; I'll visit tonight. Does it have to be Jinzen, or can I just visit in my sleep?'

'Sleep is fine, Ichigo.'

'See you soon then, Nejibana.' He said to the Zanpakuto, kindly, before speaking out loud once more.

"Nejibana says I need to visit, then she will tell me how to get her Bankai."

"Then you will do that when we are done here." Yoruichi stated, leaving no room to argue. "Tell me; what about your last Zanpakuto? What was its name again?"

An annoyed growl resounded inside Ichigo's head. Why did she remember the other two? Stupid She-Cat.

"His name is Tabigarasu, Yoruichi..."

"Okay, and what about my other question?" The orange haired human-turned-Shinigami gulped nervously. "Ichigo? How are you in progressing to your Bankai with him?"

"I'm... I've already got his Bankai, Yoruichi."

"What?!"

* * *

"_Ichigo, you are aware that the cat will not stop asking what your final release is with Tabigarasu until you tell her, or show her that of another, don't you?_"

"Yeah, I know that Old man. But you know why I can't tell her that. I'll just have to put up with it, won't I?"

"_Yes. I suppose you will. What I was trying to say, however, that you should work towards achieving our, and Nejibana's, Bankai._" The cloak-wearing man turned his head to face something Ichigo could not identify. "_On that note; I do believe that Nejibana is heading this way. Goodbye, for now, Ichigo._"

-(Flashback: ? Years ago)-

"Kaien?! Kaien, can you hear me?!" The panicked, no longer meloduos, tone of Nejibana screeched. "Kaien! Please resist! PLEASE!"

Kaien's sight was black. That... _thing_ had gotten him. H-He couldn't die. He couldn't!

Worse was to come...

He was changing. Becoming one of _them_! She would be forced to endure it alongside him. Nejibana would deteriorate right alongside her wielder. It would have been better for them to die. Kaien... as a Shinigami; he would be reborn. As a Hollow, he might be truly destroyed.

Tears began to flow.

"Please... don't turn Kaien. Please, just _survive_."

Then came Rukia Kuchiki. Nejibana would _never_ forget that girl, and what she did for her wielder. 'Not that I'll be able to see forever.' The spirit thought, with a small, depressed smile. The sword pierced them, and Nejibana fell into the darkness.

-(Flashback End)-

Then, though, when all hope had faded, along came her Ichigo. The water Zanpakuto, along with Tabigarasu, was called to the desparing soul of an 8 year old human boy. She would always be thankful for _that._ For being born, again, into such an honourable mind. Turning from a sweet child, who hid his pain behind the mask of a scowl, into an amazing young man. And she liked to think that she had helped a lot in that regard. Who knows how Ichigo would have turned out otherwise... Waking up under his mother's copse. The person he cared for far and away more than any other, at least at that point.

His _determination_ to protect after that... it really helped her, too. She swore to help him, became the only person he ever seemed to be _honest_ with. Who he showed anything except _anger_ to. And in return, she...

"Nejibana!" Ichigo called, waving his hand in front of the female spirit's face to get her attention. "You alright? You zoned out for a while there." The water-Zanpakuto reddened notieably; even to Ichigo.

"H-Hai. I'm fine, Ichigo-sama." The beautiful, Kimono wearing Zanpakuto said, as she blushed to the roots of her dark blue, wavy hair. "W-Why are you here?" She stammered. The orange haired man frowned in confusion. Had she forgotten?

"Because you told me to come here tonight... remember?" Ichigo asked. "Are you sure you're okay, Nejibana? You normally have a really good memory."

"Ah! Of course. Yes, I'm fine, Ichigo. I just spaced out a little, please accept my apologies. D-Did you say that you wanted to discuss your Bankai?" Her breath came in quick, quiet gasps at this point.

"Yes, that's right." Ichigo grinned at the occupant of his soul, only to sink back into the frown as She began to look even _more_ feverish. "If something is the matter, please tell me Nejiba-mpff!"

'Holy...'

The Znpakuto's lips crashed against his in a hasty, and slightly rough, kiss.

'Wow... She never did _this_ when I was Kaien.' His memories from his previous life were few and far between, but that was because he remembered shocking, or significant, events. His Soul Slayer kissing him... that would have been one of them.

"Mmm" The elegant woman moaned, as Ichigo responded in a... positive manner, and she sank into the feeling of _bliss_ that brought her. She ran her tongue over his lips, begging for entrance, and...

"**Whoa! You go King!**"

And Ichigo pulled away, turning to face the, now guffawing and hooting, Hollow. Nejibana's gaze locked onto the grinning 'man' too, and her expression twisted into one of anger.

"Bastard!" A trident soared towards Hichigo, passing through the space that, had he not ducked, would have contained his head.

"**Uh-oh.**" He took off running; not even making a quip in the face of the female spirit's anger. Nejibana ran off in pursuit, and Ichigo was left, standing on his own, in a daze in their wake.

"What the hell just happened..."


	4. The Moon in the Daytime

**Well, here's another instalment of Savage.**

**Hope you enjoy it. **

**I own nothing you recognise.**

* * *

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here, Yumichika." Was the first thing Ichigo Kurosaki heard the next morning. "A Greenhorn Shinigami fallin' asleep this close to our patol grounds. I reckon we aught to teach him why he should avoid the 11th Division's Barracks. And by _we,_ I mean _me_." Ichigo' world came into focus as a male's shadow blocked out the sun.

"What the hell? I could've sworn it was day time. Why's the moon still out?" He heard someone let out an effeminate chuckle that could, very easily, be mistaken for a giggle.

"THAT'S MY HEAD YOU BASTARD!" A, now extremely annoyed, Shinigami known as Ikkaku Madarame yelled at the groggy, orange haired stranger in front of him. "Now; GET UP AND FIGHT ME! It's bad enough that my fellow 11th Divisioners take the piss out of me 'bout my shaved head" "*Cough*Bald*Cough*" "Shut up Yumchika! But I won't let some pathetic, newby weakling get away with it!"

"Fine. fine. If you ain't gonna shut up until we fight; let's get on with it." Ichigo stood, dusting off his robes, and stretched, popping the muscles in his back a little as he did so. The habit of very much _enjoying_ sleep came with his memories from being Kaien, too. He'd always tried to find time, in the afternoon especially, for a good nap back when he was in Thirteenth Division. "I assume it'll be one on one, right?" The growling bald man nodded, and then something ocurred to Ichigo. "Hey, have either of you seen a cat 'round here? Seems to have vanished." He pointedly looked around for Yoruichi; but found no trace of the feline.

'Hmm... Well, I'm sure Yoruichi can manage while I deal with these clowns.'

"So, what are the rules in this bout?"

"Rules?" Ikkaku scoffed. "No rules. Just that here's no running." The bald man grinned. "Only cowards run, right?... Hey, what is your name? I'm Ikkaku Madarame, third seat of eleventh division; and I reckon it's only polite to give your name to someone you're gonna try 'n' kill."

"Ichigo Kurosaki. Nice to meet you. But I'll be hesitant to fight you with the peacock guy stood over there. Who knows what he'll do if I'm beating you."

"Eh? Oh, Yumichika won't do anythin'. But I see your point. Oi, Yumichika, go let the Captain know why I'm gonna be late for my station."

"Very well, Ikkaku. Have fun." The man half-ran half-skipped off towards the main road.

"Now, I just need a moment, Kurosaki." The third seat backed off, and stood in the centre of the small street. "You are about to witness... my lucky dance!"

* * *

'What a freak.' Ichigo thought, as the bald man finished his... dance-thing.

"We gonna start, then, Ikkaku? Or do you have a poem you want to recite, too?"

"Fuck off! I have to do my lucky dance, not to do so would be unlucky!"

"Really? I never would have guessed that the _lucky_ dance was supposed to give you luck."

"Fuck you, Kurosaki! Prepare yourself, 'cus now you've made me MAD!" The Eleventh Division member roared as he lunged at his opponent, unsheathing Hozukimaru mid-leap. He swung visciously at his opponent's neck, and let out another growl. This wouldn't be a satisfying fight. The Greenhorn in front of him hadn't even drawn his Zanpakuto. He'd die from a single- What the? Where'd he go?

Ichigo had vanished from Ikkaku's line of sight, and the fight-loving Shinigami's path was now empty of the obstacle he had been expecting to encounter; something that very much threw him off balance.

"I think you missed." The Orange haired fighter commented as his opponent recovered from his stumble. Ikkaku spun on his heel, and faced the stranger.

"Who the fuck are you?!" He demanded of Ichigo. No way was this guy unranked; an unranked member wouldn't be able to avoid his strike. None of 'em had good enough reflexes for that. And if he had been ranked; Ikkaku's lieutenant would have insisted that he move to her division. because his hair was 'the colour of candy'. Yachiru would not miss out on having such a member in her division. And Kenpachi wouldn't much care either way; so long as Ichigo amused Yachru and was willing to fight.

"I told you; Ichigo Kurosaki." Ichigo replied, honestly, as he drew Hichigo-Zangetsu; the abnormally long Katana's steel blade glinting in the morning light.

"Then _what_ are you?! You ain't a Soul Reaper, that's for damn sure!" Ikkaku exclaimed, with a grin; he had a feeling that this'd be a better fight than he'd expected.

"Sorry, I've been told not to say too much, or it could backfire." Ichigo shrugged. "Shall we get back to the fight?"

"Yes. Let's!" He lunged again, swinging the empty sheath at Ichigo's skull and his katana at the longer blade. No way this Kurosaki guy could block both; he would block the blade, and then be knocked groggy as Hozukimaru's sheath whacked him over the head. Well; that's what the bald-headed third seat believed and expected. But that was based on one incorrect assumption.

That Ichigo intended to block.

"Sorry 'bout this. If I don't give him some blood soon; Zangetsu'll be even more irritating than normal." The orange haired hybrid announced, as Ikkaku neared. He raised his blade, pointed at Ikkaku and parrallel to the ground, and stepped forward. "And, who knows, maybe this'll teach you not to mindlessley jump at your opponent, when you know nothing about him." Ichigo commented, before dissappearing in a blur of flash step.

"Ugh!" The bloodthirsty Chrome dome, as Yachiru would call him, grunted as Zangetsu's tip pierced his right shoulder, stabbing through to the hilt, and his weapon's sheath fell to the floor with a clatter as his hand spasmed. "Shit! Fuck, you're fast, Kurosaki!" A bloodthirsty grin spread over the third seat's face. "But you chose the wrong arm!" Hozukimaru flashed, hacking shortly at his opponent's right arm; the one holding his, now blood drenched, Zanpakuto. "Gah!" The longer sword was yanked harshly out of his shoulder, far faster than the stabbed man had expected. His own katana bounced off the sword, as the pain shifted Ikkaku's focus, and Madarame stumbled backwards.

The bald man growled as he noticed, to add insult to injury, that his opponent had relaxed his stance. Raising the hilt to his mouth; the eleventh squad member gripped it in his teeth; his vision beginning to dim from the gushing wound on his shoulder, and fumbled with the hilt's pommel until he plucked it off and gained access to his blood clotting ointment. It wouldn't be enough for long-term healing, but hopefully the paste would stop the bleeding for the rest of this fight, at least.

"Well that's just cheating."

"Shut up! It's not cheating; it's called being well-prepared! You're supposed to marval at my brilliance!" He screamed at the other man; frustrated with the accusation.

"Eh. If you say so." Ichigo replied; indifferently. "You done? Or are we going to continue?"

"Done... DONE?! I won't be done 'TIL I'M DEAD!" He charged forwards yet again, wobbling a little as he rushed blindly at his, so far, superior opponent.

"Or..." Ichigo began, before dissappearing in a blur of speed.

"Bugh." Ikkaku made a strange sound, as a fist crashed into the back of his head, and fell, face first, to the ground; a lump rapidly forming on the point of impact.

"... Until you're unconscious." He nudged the out-of-it man with his foot and received a groan in response. "Hmm... not knocked out, huh? I guess a third seat is more resilient than I expected." He shrugged. "Eh. That's probably a good thing." The orange haired man grabbed his opponent by the back of his Kimono, and moved him away from Hozukimaru.

"Oi! Wake up!" Ichigo barked at Ikkaku.

Nothing.

"Dumbass, get up!"

Nada.

"Oh... that'll work." Ichigo smirked to himself, and drew in a breath. "BALDY!"

"FUCK YOU!" Ikkaku sat up with that exclamation, a look of rage on his face. "WHO DO YOU THINK YOU... are? Crap!" Seeming to rememebr where he was. the Third seat leapt to his feet, only to stagger and fall back down. "What the? Why am I dizzy?"

"'Cause I punched you in the back of your head, I'd guess." Ichigo told him. "Now, I've got some questions I need to ask you."

"Why would I answer them?" The bald man hissed. "And why didn't you finish me off?"

"I had no reason to, Third seat Madarame. You were fighting me for the sake of fighting. That's something I don't mind; even though wanting it to be to the death is annoying. Your reason is one I can understand, and so I can accept it. So long as you don't select one of those I care for to sate your bloodlust." Ichigo stated, leaning against a wall as Ikkaku rose, unsteadily, to his feet.

"What do you want to know, then?" Ikkaku sneered. "My Birthday?" Ichigo ignored his tone.

"I want to know where Rukia Kuchiki is being kept." The Ryoka, though he did not know that title yet, answered simply.

"Kuchiki? You mean the Death Row inmate?" His sneer fell away, replaced with a look of confusion. "What do you want with someone like that?"

"To save her."

"_Save_ her?! How many of you are there?"

"Myself... and a cat."

"You... and a _cat_... Hah! Bahaha! You're kidding; what is this, a suicide mission?!" He used the fact that Ichigo turned from him, to avoid looking at, and so getting angered by, the ridiculing expression to make a run for his weapons, scooping the sheath and sword duo off the ground and spinning; intending to block an incoming strike. Only to find none incoming. His confusion quickly gave way to a grin, however, as Ikkaku slammed the pommel of his sword against the butt of his sheath. His enemy would not be expecting this.

"_Grow, Hozukimaru!_" The blade and sheath combined, extending into a long spaer with a red tassle on the blunt end. "Now, Ichigo, don't misju-UGH!" The Yari snapped, and Ichigo appeared, in front of the shocked Ikkaku, with Zangetsu still extended, tip dripping blood from the verticle slash running down the Third seat of Zaraki devision's chest.

When Ikkaku woke, he found his Zanpakuto, complete with sheath, resting next to him; the only change being the now mostly empty pommel.

"... Bastard."

* * *

"Damn... I've got to stop doing that." Ichigo commented to himself, with a scowl. He had attemted to do a long-distance Shunpo, and ended up... somewhere he hadn't intended to be. Still in the Seretei, of course, but he had no idea _where_ in the large compound.

'**Eh. Practise makes perfect, right King? Eventually we'll get it down. If not, you could always use Sonido...**' The Hollow suggested; in his version of subtlety, which was, basically, not yelling.

'_There is no need to worry about this, Ichigo._' The calmer Zangetsu added. '_I am given to understand that this is a hard skill to learn; and you have never had anything like formal training on it. Perhaps you will be able to find someone once this is done._'

'**Plus, I bet it makes ya harder to follow, Kingy. After all, if you don't know where you're goin', how could your enemies?**' The Hollow added, finding a possible silver lining.

Ichigo was now stood on a building. So that was a start...

'**Great job, King. You've narrowed it down to one of the gazillion buildings in this place. Really, I **_**applaude**_** your brilliance.**' Ichigo's eyes narrowed.

'Hey, Old Man?'

'_Yes, Ichigo?_'

'Did Nejibana ever get ahold of Hichigo?'

'_No..._' Ichigo got the distinct impression that Zangetsu was smirking; evidently he knew what was to happen next.

'**Y-You wouldn't...**'

'Hey, Flower!' Ichigo called into his own mind. 'He's over here!' After which silence, other than a few yelps and squeaks of pain, was all that Ichigo heard from his mindscape. The orange haired Shinigami chuckled, before his head snapped around.

He could have sworn he'd heard a booming voice announce something from a half mile, or so, to his left.

What was a Ryoka? Ichigo couldn't help but wonder, since the word inspired such an uneasy feeling in him.

* * *

Ichigo was willing to admit that he was lost. Not out loud, granted, but in the confines of his own head he was comfortable admitting his current predicament. Hell, he may even accept that the responsibility for the situation rested on his shoulders. But that did not change the fact that he was getting very anoyed right now.

With each building, the hybrid's frustration grew. It was dumb; to expect to just run into another ranked Soul Reaper to question; since he did not get the information he needed from Ikkaku, but, even so, Ichigo kept at it. He figured that, _eventually_, he would find somebody that knew where in this thrice damned place they were holding Rukia, they would tell him where, and he would finally know where he was meant to be heading. If only the blasted cat had told him that, or _anything_, before scampering off to do God knows what.

Suddenly, his sharp ears, even when he was doing his best to surpress his reiatsu in an inneffective way that cut off the majority of his abilities, caught a _Boom_ in the distance, somewhere to the East, or at least he believed that direction to be East, anyway, of Ichigo's position. Just stopping himself from trying to Shunpo over, that was the cause of his being lost, after all, Ichigo took off at a bounding run, leaping from building to building as he neared the source of that noise. As he reached the nearest building and peered over the edge, he saw...

A hole in a wall. That was it.

"Oh! Come on!" The sleeveless-Shihakusho wearing Human exclaimed. How had he missed whoever caused that damage? He had been _quick_, for Kami's sake!

Suddenly, Ichigo darted to the side, moving in a blur of speed that, as he became visible again, showed him holding his Wakizashi; Old man Zangetsu's blade form. Where he had previously been stood, an _odd s_ight was now visible.

From a cloud of dust; an big. ugly head, surrounded by large red beads, portruded.

"Huh? Where'd he go?" The oversized Soul Reaper, now free from the dust, wondered aloud, before turning to look for the orange haired Ryoka. Now, Ichigo could see the behemoth in greater detail. He bore a certain resemblance to Jidanbo; the guardian of the West gate, and wore a large, beaded necklace with a red tuft hanging from the lowest, and largest of them. Likewise; he had a bracelet consisting of red beads on his left wrist, drawing Ichigo's attention to the fact that he held a Zanpakuto in a ready, but slightly sloppy, grip.

"So you were fast enough to dodge my strike from such a close range? Impressive. I dare say that if we had not met here, you may have gone on to do great things... Unfortunately for you, however, your journey ends here." The ugly man stated, confidently. "It is almost sad. And, so, I will give you some time to make peace with yourself, before I kill you. You have ten seconds."

"One."

'**Is this guy serious?**' The Hollow deadpanned.

"Two."

'...'

"Three."

'It looks like it, yeah.'

"Four."

'**Well, even **_**I**_** agree _he_ doesn't deserve one of your releases.**'

"Five."

'I don't even want to dirty a Zanpakuto by using it against him.'

"Six."

'**I **_**would**_** quite like to see you punch him in the face, King.**'

"Seven."

'And I would quite like _to_ punch him in the face.'

"Eight."

"Nine."

"Ten." He drew his sword back, and crouched slightly. "Now that you are prepared; I will show you the way in which you will die." He leapt forwards with a yell that sounded like "Eeeeyuuh!", and, surprisingly; considering his bulk, sailed through the air towards Ichigo. This, however, did not mean he did it quickly. Ichigo stepped to the side, as Jirobo landed, and sheathed Zangetsu.

"Again, your speed impresses me, but no matter." The man jumped back again, and landed 25 feet from his opponent. "Now, I will end your regrettable misfortune. It will be a merciful death; do not worry." He placed his hand against the tip of his Zanpakuto.

"_Flap away, Tsunzakigarasu!_" The blade gave way under his palm, and dozens of curved, spinning blades appeared around him; floating in mid air. "You see, Ryoka, I am the _master_ of flying weapons! You have no hope to live past that which is too fast for your eyes to see!" The large man flung his hand forwards, fingers splayed.

'**Pfft. You think that's fast, fatso?! My pett snail moves faster than that!**' The Hollow was genuinly upset at the implication of such a pathetic man calling himself fast. '**If you wanna see fast; you should see my Bankai!**' From the brief demonstrations Ichigo had seen, comparing this to Zangetsu's Bankai form would be like comparing a space hopper to a Formula 1 car. Though projectiles _were_ likely quite useful even at this speed.

Ichigo vaished from his opponent's line of sight, and the man let out a confused grunt. None of his blades had any blood on them. Did the orange haired man not bleed? Strange. Jirobo, then, felt something tap his shoulder, and spun around, only to be met with Ichigo Kurosaki's knuckles as his fist slammed into the large man's face. Stupidly, Jidanbo let go of his Zanpakuto to try to break his fall with his hands, as he went flying, and briefly caught sight of it being kicked off the side of the building by the Ryoka.

"W-Who are you?" The Fourth seat whimpered.

"Ichigo Kurosaki. I'd ask in return, but I don't care." Ichigo's irritation was showing. "Now; you are going to tell me where Rukia Kuchiki is, aren't you?"

"Y-Yes sir!"

"Good. Very good."

* * *

"So, I'm looking for a white tower called the Senzaikyu." Ichigo clarified to himself. "Near the centre of the Sereitei." He looked around for something. "But... I still don't know which way that is. Dammit!" Ichigo cursed. He really should have checked that with the Jidanbo guy about that, before he knocked him unconscious. But the orange haired Shinigami had left the annoyance behind by now. Far behind.

Now, Ichigo was bounding from building to building; heading in what he _believed_ to be the right direction, but that was solely based on his instincts. And his instincts, _especially_ in regards to direction, were fallible.

"Where is that blasted cat?!" He continued in his exclamation. It just _had_ to run away. Leaving him on his own in an area that he knew nothing about. "_Think_. If I was a cat, where would I go? And how the hell can I find wherever that is?" He scowled, annoyed. "Okay; cat's are fond of... fish, milk, balls of yarn, mice and... red dots?" Ichigo donned a thoughtful expression and looked up into the sky. "Well... the higher you are, the more you can see. So... I'll go _up_." He crouched low, and shot up into the air in a reiatsu-fueled leap. Several hundred metres up, Ichigo reached the peak of his jump, and hardened reiatsu under his feet, creating the platform that Shinigami tended to make in order to immitate flight.

Standings still, he narrowed his eyes, and lifted his hand to shield the amber orbs from the Sun. To the left, Ichigo simply saw countless buildings, and the same was true as to the right. That didn't look promosing to the orange-haired Shinigami. In front, a walled, grassy area with a large building. Behind, an _unwalled_ grassy area with a large building.

Grass= Water. Water= Fish. Fish=Yoruichi. At least, that's what Ichigo figured.

So which of those two should he go to? Oh! The unwalled version was nearer to a straight, long and wide road. That looked much more promosing to Ichigo than his other option, which was surrounded by buildings. Perhaps that would be the best bet to lead to this white tower. A main road would lead to the centre of the Seireitei, surely.

Did that outweigh how busy it would be, though, since the Shinigami'd probably frequent that road? Eh, he could just follow its general direction. Or fight... well, that would appease his Hollow at least.

* * *

This place really was big. He must have been moving for nearly an hour now; and in reference to the other landmarks, the grassy area had seemed to be in quite close proximity to the human.

Ichigo had been moving toward his target area at a steady jog, this time on the ground to avoid being spotted jumping from rooftop to rooftop as he neared. Being seen too soon would be a _bad _idea. Who knew what the wooded area was? And even more importantly; who knew how many Soul Reapers would be there? Jumping right on top of an indeterminate number of them sounded like a very, very bad idea to Ichigo.

As he neared the main road that he had seen before, Ichigo slowed his pace to a brisk walk. As soon as he saw the cluster of buildings on the other side of the street, the Ryoka would Shunpo across; hopefully avoiding any risk of being spotted. From what he was told, those that would notice Ichigo Flash stepping were very limited. Yoruichi told him that out of the Captains, he'd be seen by those of 1st, 2nd, 4th, 8th, and 13th. And of those, he'd stand no chance of defeating the majority in a fight; since it included the 4 oldest captains, and an assasin. The cat had said that it could help prepare him for that eventuality but, of course, he had to find Yoruichi first.

Ichigo reached the break in the buildings, showing a clear path to a row of trees. He took a deep breath, and channelled reiatsu into his legs, darting over the distance between him and the grassy area in a dull flash.

* * *

"Ugh." Ichigo grunted, as his shoulder caught a tree. "Damn. This is ridiculous. I could use it fine on the way here, and in combat it's easy as pie. So why do I keep messing up this blasted Shunpo?" He muttered to himself, glaring at the tree that he, somewhat illogically, blamed for the discomfort. However, the fact that it had snapped in half, and he had no more than a very mild bruise, told him that he did not need to extract any further revenge on the plant.

"Okay... let me see." He reoriented himself, having been thrown off his path by the minor collision, and faced away from the road, instead looking towards the slightly denser area in the forest. "Water will be this way." He walked into the treeline, sidestepping past a paprticularly gnarly looking tree, and continued on his way.

All of a sudden, the Ryoka felt a pulse of Spiritual Pressure behind him. From... the tree.

He hopped to the side, dodging as a sharpened branch passed through the area previously containing Ichigo's body, and panicked; channelling a smaller amount of Reiatsu, than his Shunpo required, into his legs, and taking off at a run.

Through him against the strongest of people, and Ichigo Kurosaki would have no fear whatsoever about the consequences. Even of the Yammamoat guy Yoruichi had told him about; Ichigo would lose, but he'd be fighting something that he could accept. A _sentient tree_, though, that was slightly unnerving. Who knew what else could be in this accursed forest? He did not want to find out.

'**Fucking creepy ass place! Stupid trees! Let's just get out of here and BURN THE EVIL FOREST from a distance!**' The pale Zangetsu, for once, encouraged a retreat.

Outside the woods that currently contained a powerful, yet fleeing, Human-Shinigami, a task force consisting of half the Tenth Division's ranked members, and many more of their unranked, was gathered. At the moment, they were just waiting the alloted time required before they could abandon their cowardly 10th seat as a lost cause. Thankfully, this was his last chance; the irritating Hippy would have been kicked out on his ass by Captain Hitsugaya long ago, had he not been from a minor noble family, who demanded he be given a second chance. Then a third chance. Then a fourth, fifth and sixth. This one, the seventh, was all that would be tolerated before he'd be 'transferred' to Captain Soi Fon's division for 'personality adjustments'.

They would all be glad to see the pathetic man leave.

Their collective thoughts, however, were well and truly disrupted by the sudden announcement of their soon-to-be target's arrival. The orange haired Invader, at a sprint, smashed through a clump of trees, obliterating them, and kept running full pelt towards the crowd he had shocked with his appearance. It showed just how stern a stuff the unranked members were made of that an odd, multi-layered scream resounded from them as they took in Kurosaki's raggard, and panicked, look on top of the fact that he made no indication that he intended to slow his approach.

As Ichigo reached the Soul Reapers, he deemed the distance between himself and the living forest enough that he might be able to placate it... with a sacrifice, of course. He grabbed the nearest 'Reaper by the scruff of his neck and spun back to face the percieved threat.

"Here! Take him, Devil forest! I will not be eaten by a tree! Not this day nor any other!" He threw the male into the small forest, and lunged at the next Shinigami, picking him up by his bicep.

"As a show of good faith, I am willing to give you another! I will avoid your forest if at all possible from here on out, if you will just agree to call a truce!" The orange haired intruder launched his captive into the trees again, and backed away, watching intently for any movement.

Of course, this confused the hell out of those he was thinning out's heard. That forest was not a 'devil forest', after all. While they were considering the option of voicing this beffudlement, their explanation was given to them in the form of a green haired man, dressed in the standard Shinigami garb, stumbling out of the trees with a triumphant yell.

"I found him, guys! And I led him here!" Aoi Fujioka exclaimed proudly as he righted himself, and pointed his Shikai, which took the form of a curved, wooden tree branch. "He stood no chance against the might of my Shikai!" To illustrate his point, the 9th seat waved the branch he held, and a tree to his right shuddered and shook in response, before it's branches sprung forward at the Ryoka he had 'captured'. Ichigo easily sidestepped the projectiles, and a scowl spread across his face .

"That was _you_?!"

'**HIM?!**'

"Of course it was! Cower before the might of the mighty Aoi Fujio-Kaah!" A foot slammed into the gut of the green-haired man, and the others watched as Aoi was thrown into the very tree that he had been controlling moments before. Ichigo followed close behind him, and grabbed the man by his foot just as the tree splintered thanks to the Soul Reaper's body smashing through it. With a twist of his body, Ichigo flipped the man up and over his head, and Aoi slammed into the ground with a sick thud.

"Bastard." Ichigo commented, as his temper got the best of him in regards to this man. It hurt his pride that such a weak soul had managed to make him flee. Then, he turned to face the crowd, registering that the group consisted of a lot of Shinigami, all of whom had katanas, or similar swords, drawn and pointed at him.

'Oi, Hichigo?' Ichigo asked, a smirk spreading to the hybrid's lips. 'You ready for some action?'

'**Fuck yes! Let's kick some stupid Soul Reaper ass!**'

'Well put, Zangetsu. Well put. How about you, old man?'

'_I am ready, Ichigo._' The second Zangetsu confirmed

The crowd watched as the Ryoka in front of them swiftly drew his longest Katana, followed by his Wakizashi, and the higher ranked among their number were ashamed to note that several of their number let out scared whimpers as the intruder's reiatsu spiked.

"_Come forth, and Pierce the sky; Zangetsu!_"


	5. Toshiro Hitsugaya to the Rescue!

**Here's another chapter of Savage.**

**I hope you all enjoy the chapter, and continue reading.**

**Please do Review/Follow/Favourite.**

**I own nothing you recognise.**

* * *

_Old man Zangetsu talking_

**Hollow Ichigo Zangetsu talking**

Nejibana talking

* * *

"_Come Forth, and Pierce the sky, Zangetsu!_" Ichigo let go of his moronic method of repression, and felt a wave of relief wash over him as his senses expanded, his reiatsu flooding the area around him. Those in proximity to him felt the pressure build exponentially on their shoulders, following which it mostly receded, and left them staring uneasily at the Ryoka in front of them. Only two Soul Reapers were known to possess a two-blade release state, and the fact that they were also two of the most powerful captains did not bode well for the 10th divisioners in this fight.

The blades were intimidating to say the least. In the orange haired man's left hand, rested the shorter of the two; a pure black Trench knife around the size of its owner's arm, with an enclosed handle that provided protection for Ichigo's hand as he fought. The sword in his right, however, drew more attention from the enemies he currently faced. It was almost as long as he was tall, and had a hilt that was the length of Ichigo's forearm, bandages wrapped entirely around the handle. The blade was, like its fellow, pitch black, and had a hollowed out portion running along the back, from the base up to the mid point of the blade's length.

"You lot going to insist on fighting? 'Cause I'll give you one chance to turn around and run away. You have five seconds." Ichigo stated with a smirk, as he felt an excited energy to cut loose. A little bit, anyway. It was doubtful that any of them could rival Ichigo even at this level. And getting one of them to fetch their captain or lieutenant wouldn't be smart; what about if they brought reinforcements? "No one? Okay, then. Let's get started." Ichigo charged forwards, bringing the longer of his blades in a vicious arc, and sending a gust of wind strong enough to send half the unranked members to the ground in an instant. Had this been a serious fight, or had it been people he sawn as deserving, Ichigo would have unleashed what his genuine attack; but that would kill the majority of his opponents, and he may become the target for the Shinigami's big guns.

Instead, Ichigo sped towards the disoriented Soul Reapers, and the obsidian blades swung, each at a separate target. The two Kimono-wearing males were cut across the shoulder, and blood sprayed from the wounds.

Ichigo froze. That was far more blood than he had expected. Why would _that _quantity come from the cuts? Why was it so much more than the times he landed hits on his other sparring partners? The Zanpakuto, he supposed, could have a different physiology, but why would Urahara be so different?

'_Because he's stronger, Ichigo. When it comes to Shinigami, the more pressure you have, the less susceptible you are to being cut. Think of it as a form of armour that they can create from their own Reiatsu.' _Zangetsu explained.

'Really? Well, Shit.' He would have to be careful. He counted 4 that _seemed_ to have substantial, though not all that significant, amounts of spiritual pressure. They must be the highest ranked. Most of the others seemed to have very, very little chance of faring better than the bleeders did.

As a result, Ichigo flipped the blades over in his hands so that he now held them with the back of the swords facing outwards. This would, hopefully, avoid any serious injuries for his weaker attackers. No matter whether or not he had the support of his partners in wanting to spare them.

* * *

The smallest, youngest captain, though he would explode at anybody that pointed it out, was currently moving at breakneck speed, barely stopping for a millisecond between Shunpos. He had been sent word that the Ryoka had appeared in his division and was dealing fatal blows to his officers. Toshiro Hitsugaya, unlike many of his fellow captains, cared deeply for the men in his division. They were some of the few that had accepted his authority, despite his being younger than many of them and having the appearance of a child. He would not let them be hurt by an intruder that was, by all accounts, a force to be reckoned with.

Unfortunately, Captain Hitsugaya had been in the fourth Division, checking on his injured 6th seat, when he received the alert. Even then, the fight had begun before the captain Flash Stepped away from the medical division.

That explained why, as Hitsugaya, followed soon by his lieutenant, arrived on the roof of his barracks, he was greeted by an extremely unpleasant sight. There they were, each and every member of the Ryoka hunting task-force he had set up, lying on the ground unconscious with varying degrees of injury. 5 of them, Toshiro noted, had their torsos wrapped in bandages and the last of these quintuple had an intimidating, even to one of Hitsugaya's strength, figure stood above him.

Ichigo Kurosaki had sheathed his smaller Shikai blade, the Trench knife now sat on his hip, but had to use Hichigo's Khyber to bandage up his defeated enemies. That was why Hitsugaya's mind jumped to the worst conclusion; the orange haired man had a massive, unconventional sword resting on his right shoulder. Almost in the position to deliver a killing blow to the unconscious Shinigami.

"_Sit upon the Frosted Heavens, Hyorinmaru!_" An ice-made Chinese dragon slammed into the ground, just behind where Ichigo had been standing a second prior. Out of instinct, Ichigo had Shunpo'd away. Thankfully, this time he had only chosen to Flash Step a small distance. And so, he had not gotten lost. Thank God.

"Why are you here, Ryoka?!" Ichigo turned and found the source of that yell; a childlike Soul Reaper dressed in a white Haori holding a released Zanpakuto that appeared to be affecting the area around wherever they were. That variation on the uniform meant that he must be a captain, based on what Yoruichi had told Ichigo, and so the Human-Shinigami made a conscious effort not to judge his opponent based on the boy's unimposing physical appearance. Nor did he let himself be distracted by the appearance of a tall, busty female, who's attire highlighted the fact, next to the Ice-Zanpakuto wielding Captain.

"Did you have to go so fast Captain?" She complained to the white haired boy next to her.

"Yes, I did, Matsumoto. If I had not, then our opponent would have executed Seventh seat Takezoe."

"He what?!" She turned, looking to the black haired unconscious Shinigami to check her comrades were okay, and let out a relieved sigh when she found none of them to have been killed.

"Yes. I got here to find him stood over our Seventh seat with his blade poised to kill the defenceless m-"

"Whoa! Whoa, wait a minute! I did no such thing! I'd just healed him, since the stubborn bastard refused to go down until I knocked him unconscious." The accused responded, calling to the Captain and who he assumed to be his Lieutenant.

"Healed him?" Toshiro called, back in a confused tone of voice.

"Well... I healed him as well as I could. Really, that was just to the point that his wounds aren't any real danger to his health and then wrapping him in bandages. But I still tried!"

"But why would you heal him, or any of us?" Rangiku called over, having noticed the Ryoka's presence.

"Why wouldn't I? I had no need to kill him. As you can see, for the majority of them I didn't even use the edge."

The two Shinigami shot each other a confused look, and began a hushed conversation.

"I thought that you said that the Ryoka was a bloodthirsty killer." Rangiku commented, having been told by her captain, not an hour prior, that they had found an entire village, that the invader had passed through, slaughtered mercilessly. They had only stopped themselves from putting him down on sight because the Captain-Commander had ordered Toshiro, and all the captains, that Kurosaki was to be caught alive if at all possible.

"That is what I was told, yes. And he matches the description that we were given..." Matsumoto gave a frown, and replied with a question.

"Who gave you that information?"

"Captain..." The small soul gritted his teeth. "Captain Ichimaru." He hissed. The busty Lieutenant's expression turned to an angry frown, and the two reached a conclusion that he had, at best, lied to the council. It was unfortunate, but the teal-haired man may have done much more than that. There was something _very_ wrong with him.

"Fine. Ryoka, you will accompany me to meet with the Head-Captain. We will give this information to him to instigate a proper investigation into your crimes. Will you come peacefully?" Hitsugaya asked, a stern tone to his voice.

"No. Sorry, but I don't see how that would end well with me." Ichigo shrugged. "Besides, I'd prefer to avoid the Yamamoat guy as much as possible."

"I see." Hitsugaya's expression didn't change. "Thankfully, I did not expect you to comply. Prepare yourself, Kurosaki Ichigo. I will not hold back!" He exclaimed, raising his sword to prepare his opening attack.

"You want to fight?" Ichigo asked, scowling. "Usually, I would oblige you, but if we fought, I _really _doubt we wouldn't attract attention. So, I would like to say, I really am sorry." He raised the larger Zangetsu, as the Khyber knife glowed blue. With a swing, he sent the, underpowered, Getsuga Tensho at the grouped unconscious Squad Ten Soul Reapers. The two others' eyes widened at the attack. While a few seated Shinigami may survive, the weaker ones would perish. That explained Hitsugaya's priorities in his next move.

"Rangiku! Attack him!" The captain ordered, as he appeared in front of the energy wave with a burst of Shunpo.

"Right." She said in reply. "_Growl, Heinek- _Wait, where'd he go?"

* * *

"Well, Yoruichi wasn't _there_. But that's annoying more than anything else." The orange haired teen scowled. "I really don't feel like going all over the place trying to find her. I'll head towards Rukia, or where I _think_ Rukia is, and hope that she's around there. Maybe if I get in a few fights, and cause a commotion, the cat'll find me."

Ichigo shrugged, his patience having worn thin, and turned to set off in the correct general direction. He had only travelled a little way away from the 10th Division barracks, and so was aware of where the main road was.

"...In the morning." The events of today had, apparently, taken longer than the Human-turned-Shinigami had thought. The sun was setting and, now that he thought about it, he was rather tired.

* * *

Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, Head Captain of the Gotei13 and the most powerful Shinigami to have been born in more than 1000 years, was tired. So very tired.

Tired of dealing with the day to day running of... everyting. The squabbles of people far, far younger than him; those that had too much energy to waste on nonconsequental things. Things he just did not understand. He was tired of war, and also of peace. He wished there was something, _anything_ that he still cared for. As it was, he cared for his children; not truly his offspring, but those he valued as though they were, he cared for the lives of those he protected. But he could not find it in himself anymore to understand why those youngsters ran around as they did, acting like they had too much to do, and too little time. Perhaps they did. Perhaps they would not live for the countless years he had.

But he could not... he _would not_ abandon his duty. The safety of his people mattered too much for him to bequeth the duty onto a lesser being. One day, there would surely be a time that he was needed to lead once more, and that, if he was granted one boon for his lifetimes worth of service, he would give his life for. Preferably protecting those who needed life more than he.

At least, that had been his plan. What he had truly believed to be his destiny.

Until this... this _human_ came. This human, a species that, by all accounts, was supposed to be unremarkable, came with power that he could _see_ was special. That was vastly more unique than any he had seen before.

As Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto stood silently over the still, sleeping form of Ichigo Kurosaki, his eyes, usually so full of apathy, so far from a true reflection of his true nature, burned bright. His hands clenched over the knot at the top of his cane, and, beneath the mighty beard he sported, his scarred lips twisted into an imitation of a grin. This boy, he had more potential than even the Head-Captain himself when he was a youngster. Either he would be the greatest ally the Gotei 13 could possess, or he may be the very enemy against which Genryūsai gave his last, and greatest, effort.

But the oldest Shinigami in existence knew one thing. The Kurosaki boy would do what he thought to be right. And once _this _was over and done with, and the explanation for such a harsh crime to be dealt to Kuchiki was explained, Genryūsai would go about convincing the youngster that the Gotei 13 was always striving to do what was right.

Hopefully the boy would not sacrifice his happiness as his observer long since had.

* * *

"Well, you look rather... worse for wear." Ichigo commented, as he found himself greeted by the battered form of his inner Hollow/Shinigami.

"**Fuck you, ya Rat Bastard.**" Hichigo growled out, running his hand over a spot in his pure white cloting that looked to have three holes, about the proportions of what would be caused by being skewered by a trident.

"I'm guessing you're blaming me for drawing Nejibana's attention to you, right?" Ichigo asked, having trouble keeping the smirk off his face. A fact that, based on his growl, Hichigo seemed to notice. "It's your own fault for interrupting... whatever that was."

"**You can't seriously be that dense, King. After all, I'm a part of you, and I'm a pervert.**"

"Dense? I'm pretty sure I am." Ichigo shrugged. "But I realise that the way she kissed me had... connotations."

"Is that what you would call it, Ichigo-sama?" A feminine voice asked, from behind Ichigo. The Hollow let out a loud _Eep_, and took off at a run.

"Well, I think that it's a bad way to put it, but I'm really not sure why you did it." Ichigo said, as he turned to the female Zanpakuto with a slightly uncomfortable grin.

"I..." Nejibana seemed to visibly steady her restraint. "Apologees, Ichigo-sama. I did not intend to cross a line in my actions, and hope that you can forgive me." She bowed slightly in a formal manner.

"Forgive you? You don't need to worry about that, Flower." Ichigo commented, with a more sombre expression. "I didn't understand it, but it was... nice." He, unsurprisingly, reddened as he finished the statement.

"Nice? I was hoping you would consider it more than nice." She pouted. "After all, _mittens_ are _nice_."

"No, no! It was... it was... I don't know how to describe it! I enjoyed it, but it was... surprising." The blue haired girl smiled softly at the, admittedly slightly awkward, compliment her wielder/crush had given her.

"I'm glad to hear it, Ichigo." She said, before returning to the topic that had been interrupted the night before. "But, I think we have more pressing matters to attend to. I feel I need to explain your Bankai to you."

"Oh, yeah. You didn't tell me how I can acheive it, did you?" Ichigo replied, with a thoughtful expression.

"No. I'm afraid my attention was pulled _elsewhere_ before I could." Nejibana had an angry expression now; one that looked foreign on her ordinarily peaceful face. Ichigo didn't blame the Hollow for running. "But that kiss was my way of checking... I'd long since decided that the criteria for me giving you my Bankai form, would be trust. And I trust you, Ichigo. I trust you to never use me, to _value _me, unlike so many Soul Reapers, and I trust you to... live. To live for what is right, and to live for _me_. The same as I will live for _you_. And, so, we can truly be partners." Her expression shifted to one of real happiness. "And, hopefully, not just as Zanpakuto and Wielder."

* * *

"Where in God's name is everyone?" Ichigo wondered, very much confused He had been travelling on the main rode for a good few hours now; and yet he had encountered not a single Soul Reaper. He had been given a couple of theories by Zangetsu and Nejibana; the most promosing of which was the idea that those other than the highest ranked officers had been ordered to stay in their Division Barracks, but the absense made him uneasy. Like... the calm before the storm.

He had been flashing forwards every few steps for a half hour by now, covering a small distance with each Shunpo so that he would not lose control of the technique, and the massive hill that had become visible long before that seemed to be getting quite close. Before that, however, there was a massive set of stairs. One that, for reasons unknown, had the bottom portion engulphed in a thick mist.

Ichigo slowed to a cautious pace as he entered the fog, deciding quickly that charging blindly into it would be a bad idea, to say the least. Especially since his senses were blocked, once again, by his makeshift suppression technique.

This place just screamed _trap_ and, so, Ichigo drew his, as yet, in his time in the Soul Society, untouched, katana, and advanced while maintaining his cautious pace.

'Oh?' Ichigo wondered. 'It looks like the mist is clearing.' A soft breeze had begun to blow through the courtyard-looking place that Ichigo was slowly moving through, allowing him to get a better view of the giant staircase he at the end.

With a whisper of steel-on-sheath, Ichigo drew Nejibana. There was someone at the bottom of the stairs.

As the mist properly cleared, he saw one of the two from the Human World. The one he had been beating with his non-Zanpakuto before the quieter of the two stepped in and stabbed him in the chest. Something, however, told Ichigo that there was more to him than had been shown in their first confrontation.

'This is one of the ones who attacked you, Ichigo?' Nejibana asked, her voice cold, as Ichigo's eyes narrowed at the sight of one of Rukia's kidnappers.

'That's right.'

'Well, then, I would ask that you crush him. If not for yourself, then for me.'

Ichigo smirked, as his soon-to-be opponent stood and began to approach the Ryoka he blamed for his _friend's_ sentence.

"It has been a long time, Ryoka." The red, pineapple haired man began. "Do you remember my face?" The Shinigami asked, seriously.

"While I would rather forget, I still have business with you... Abarai Renji!" Ichigo snarled, as the two foze, in a standoff.

"You remember, not only my face, but my name as well?" The man gave a smirk. "You really are full of surprises And that is not even taking into account that you have somehow come back from the dead. After all, I saw Captain Kuchiki cut you down. Someone as weak as you could not possibly survive such wounds."

"Hmm. Which captain was Kuchiki, then?" Ichigo asked, filing the insult away for a moment.

"Captain of squad six. The squad where I serve him as Lieutenant!"

"Lieutenant, huh? I haven't fought a Lieutenant yet." Ichigo felt a grin spread across his face. "This should be interesting!"

"You cannot think that you stand on my level. After all, I can feel virtually no reiatsu coming from you. But I am glad you will fight. Because I am going to kill the one who stole Rukias powers!" He drew the katana resting on his left hip. "This is as far as you go! While you still live, Rukia cannot regain her powers!"

"Why would you care about that?! You have just sentenced her to die!"

The pair charged, each swinging their blade in a viscious swing. Nejibana and Zabimaru collided in mid air, pushing against each other in a test of strength. His eyes widening as he was forced back, Renji broke the stale mate first, forcing his opponent to break the hold with a shove against the blade. The red haired man grunted with the exertion, as Ichigo took a step back and brought up his sword again. Nejibana sliced through the air towards Renji's ribs. The Lieutenant brought his own katana up, blocking the blow from reaching its target, but sending himself flying in exchange. His path through the air sent him crashing into the wall across the courtyard, and Ichigo stopped, watching the area with caution; awaiting Renji's return.

"Bastard..." The Shinigami growled at his opponent, as he climbed out of the newly made hole. The tattooed man gripped the katana with both hands and vanished in a burst of Shunpo; appearing in front of Ichigo mid-strike, his Zanpakuto veering towards the Orange haired human's throat.

Ichigo ducked, avoiding the blow, and slammed his fist into the gut of his enemy. Renji gasped, a splatter of blood spraying from his mouth as he shot back yet again. This time, with Ichigo following in pursuit; his katana held in his right hand, while his left was still clenched into a fist.

As his back slammed against the wall, and Renji had a second of reprieve, he felt shock as the only emotion present. When Ichigo's foot slammed into the redhead's side, he could not understand how the human had grown so much stronger in such a brief period.

It was loking like he should use...

"_Howl, Zabimaru!_" Renji ran his hand down the length of the katana, the blade's width growing significantly from the hilt to the end, as the handle remained unchanged. The blade was slightly longer, and divided into six segments, each of which had two small blades portruding from the front and the back; the front being significantly longer than the reverse. Along the back of Zabimaru, it was solid black.

With a swing of the large blade, Renji showed its proper function; the segments lengthening out, with stretchable thread connecting them, as a deadly whip toward Ichigo.

The Orange haired hybrid quickly stepped to the side, avoiding the first blow, and brought Nejibana up hastily to block Renji's redirection. The red haired man swung the lengthy blade again, and it came down in an axe blow, trying to puncture, and then tear open, Ichigo's shoulder. Bringing up his Wakizashi, Ichigo knocked the attack off course, at which Renji growled.

"Where did _you_ get spare Zanpakuto?" Ichigo responded with a slight smirk; glad that that was the conclusion Abarai came to. Had he realised Ichigo had more than one of his own Zanpakuto, Renji would be far more panicked than he was at the moment. And, so, Ichigo didn't respond.

Annoyed, Renji whipped Zabimaru back toward his opponent. This time, he was met by the standard-sized katana of his opponent, and Ichigo forced it off to the side, happy as he noted that the blade was retracting. As Zabimaru was recharged, Renji watched, eyes wider than normal, as he saw a release that he was sure he recognised.

Ichigo held the dark blue hilted katana upside down, and began to twirl it, the blade glowing golden as it span. In a second, the katana had transformed into a far longer weapon. Nejibana's Shikai appeared to be a trident at first glance, but also had elements of a spear and a Halberd. Below the trident, a tassle, that was a slightly darker blue than the length, swayed slightly in the soft breeze. On the opposite end to the trident, a drill, instead of the traditional spear head, sat.

"_Surge, Waters and Heaven, Nejibana!_" With a mighty swing, a wave careened towards the red haired Lieutenant, but was slow enough for Renji to dodge out of the way, Zabimaru finishing its retraction as he reappeared, only to notice that Ichigo had used the wave as cover to escape rom sight.

"Where the hell is h-eee!" The question was cut off as face of the trident slammed into his side, the flat of the three prongs sending the redhead flying. As though he was caught by an unbelievably strong wave. Well, as he noted while flying through the air yet again, that was exactly what had happened; a tidal wave carried him along, and smashed against the wall of the cliff off to the side of their battle. As Renji clawed his way out of the flood, he was pinned to the wall, and let out a gasp of pain, by Nejibana's three prongs stabbing through his right side.

"Y-You bast-ard." Renji groaned out, as he locked eyes with Ichigo. "Y-You... Save her..." He slumped, blood pouring from him as Ichigo yanked Nejibana out of the now-limp body.

Both Shikais faded away, as Ichigo resheathed Nejibana and drew the larger Zangetsu.

"_Pierce the sky, Zangetsu._" He whispered, and set to work applying bandages.


	6. Kenpachi Zaraki, violence and Nakedness

**Same as last chapter. I just felt like posting another one today.**

* * *

"You'd have thought they'd build an escalator or something." Ichigo complained, as he reached the top of the massive set of stairs, having left Renji as he felt some more presences approaching. He'd be fine until they got him to their medical division.

The Human-turned-Shinigami flinched visibly, as he felt... someone. He had a good idea just who is was, and was not looking forward to this confrontation. Apparently the captain of Squad 11 was one of the most powerful Shinigami in the Soul Society and, based on Spiritual Pressure alone, was potentially the _most_ formidable.

The only option, however, was to press on forward. His Zanpakuto may differ in their opinions on _many_ matters, but none of them would accept him running from a fight simply because it might be a little _tough_. And he, along with them, was confident that he could defeat the Kenpachi in combat. Simply because neither had formal training in most Shinigami skills, but Ichigo had more, unlike his soon-to-be opponent, abilities than just attacking wildly and with overwhelming force.

This did, however, mean Ichigo could drop the constricting restraints that he had needed for his stay in the Seireitei thus far. Ichigo's reiatsu enthusiastically sprang forth, relieving the pressure that had been pressing on his shoulders.

"Ahh," Ichigo sighed. "That feels better. Fucking constraints." He cracked his neck, and rolled his shoulders as he let out a satisfied groan. This wouldn't be a fight where he could afford to hold back; since his Bankais probably wouldn't be any help with a fighter that relied on brute force like Zaraki. Well, one of his Bankais wouldn't. The other...

But that was rendered unimportant by Hichigo's excited suggestion/demand.

'**Oi, King! I wanna fight, I wanna fight! You owe me for releasin' me just to heal Pineapple Head a mo' ago! If ya don't let me fight, I might just 'accidentally' strangle someone with my bandages next time 'round.**' Unsurprisingly, the pale Zangetsu was the only one that cared whether he fought or not. And, so, Ichigo obliged him.

-()-()-(0-

"Keeen-Chaaaan..." Yachiru whined, from her perch on her captain's shoulder. "How much longer do we have to wait until Ichi arrives?" They were currently sat on top of a building, waiting not too far from the Senzaikyu; the location that 11th squad's Third seat had suggested he might be going; given that that was where Rukia Kuchiki was being kept until it was time for her execution.

"I already told you, Yachiru, I don't know when he'll get here. Just that he will pass by this way at some point." Zaraki Kenpachi said, through gritted teeth.

"But I'm booored."

"We've already played your games, it's my turn." The pinkette huffed and plopped her chin on her adoptive father's shoulder. "But... I think that may be him." The captain gave a wicked grin as his sharp eyes caught sight of a tall, though not to his own degree, orange haired, sleeveless Shihakusho wearing figure. Across the male's back, a huge blade rested. It seemed, to Zaraki, that this would be a _very_ fun fight.

-()-()-(0-

Ichigo stopped, as he felt something change. The captain-class Shinigami had moved, apparently, and not away from the Ryoka.

"Yo. Good of you to join me." Ichigo commented, calmly. The proverbial eye of the hurricane had moved to the spot not too far behind him. He scratched the centre of his chest. "Impressive killing intent you've got there. For a moment I thought you'd actually run me through with that there blade."

"Of course I joined ya." A deep rumble responded, with a chuckle. "I think you can give me a good fight. You're Ichigo Kurosaki, yeah?"

"That's right." Ichigo nodded, turning to face his opponent. "And I'm thinking you'll be Kenpahi Zaraki; Captain of 11th Division."

"Haha. Yeah. That's me."

"And I'm his Lieutenant!" A chipper voice announced, as a pink headed girl popped up from behind the tall captain. Her darker pink eyes were glinting happily as she smiled at Ichigo. Ichigo smiled back, but it wasn't quite as easy-going as hers was.

"Hey, I don't know about the morality of you Soul Reapers, but I'm not fighting a little girl." Said girl frowned at the implication.

"Kenny wouldn't do that! Kenny fights one on one!" She said, with a slight pout.

"Good." Ichigo turned back to the bell-wearing captain. "Shall we begin?"

"Hehe. Definitely. Yachiru, can you go wait on that building?" He gave a half-hearted wave towards a building.

"Okay! Bye Ken-Chan! Bye Ichi-Chan!" She vanished in a burst of Shunpo.

"One thing I wanna know," Kenpachi pondered aloud. "You seem stronger than Kuchiki said you were.

"You complaining?"

"Hell no! If you weren't strong, how could I have fun?" Zaraki pointed out. "Nah, it just doesn't make sense since you haven't had that many fights since you got 'ere. How'd you grow so much stronger? And can I make some of my division do it so that they'll be more fun?"

"It'll take quite a while to explain; I assume you don't care enough for me to take the time to tell you. But, no, it wouldn't work for your subordinates."

"Ah. That sucks. But you're right; I don't care enough to listen to the story." He shouldered his Zanpakuto. "I'd rather get to the fight."

"Yep. Y'know, I've been told to run away if I meet a captain..."

"Oh? I'd hate to have to chase you down to kill you." Zaraki scowled.

"You won't have to. I'd never live it down if I did." Ichigo copied his opponents stance, shouldering Zangetsu.

"Those swords." Zaraki nodded to the still sheathed blades. "You gonna use them?"

"Probably not, no. But I'd feel... naked without them."

"Huh. A shame; I haven't fought many dual wielders before." He remarked.

"Oh? Maybe some time in the future." The captain scowled, disliking that.

"Tss. So you don't wanna go to the death?"

"I won't kill you, no." Ichigo stated.

"Tss. Fine, if you manage to survive, I doubt I'll feel the need to finish you off." It was true, he didn't often go out of his way to kill his enemies. "But in exchange, I ain't lettin' you have the first move." He grinned sadistically, and readied the Zanpakuto he had never spoken to.

Kenpachi lunged forwards, his battered-looking katana swinging towards his target, who, for some reason, frowned visibly before bringing his Khyber knife up to block the blow, being thrown back by the strength of Kenpachi's blow. The captain was, certainly, a strong one.

Ichigo righted himself in mid-air, stabbing Zangetsu into the ground to remove his momentum, and prepared to retaliate with a snarl. He chucked the Zanpakuto into the air, confusing his opponent greatly, and snatched a bandage out of mid air. The blade reached his peak, and Ichigo yanked the make-shift rope harshly behind him. Immediately after, he span his hand in a wicked circle around his head. The blade span very, very fast, imitating a human invention that Kenpachi believed was called a buzz-saw.

All of a sudden, the rotations ceased, and the Khyber knife was flung at the captain, like a gigantic, and sinister, dart. He raised his Zanpakuto, in order to bat aside the blade, but found himself regretting that as he was forced to focus his attention on the action at hand; meaning that he did not notice that Ichigo had tautened the bandage he used to spin Zangetsu. As the blade was knocked aside, and the Kenpachi prepared to cut the bandage connecting it, he saw Ichigo was no longer in front of him; as his view was now unobstructed. In fact, the bandage led off to the opposite side to the blade.

Leaping backwards, the Khyber blade passed through the space Zaraki had just occupied. It flew back to the hand of its waiting wielder, and Eleventh Squad's captain grinned at the look of slight annoyance his dodge inspired in Ichigo.

"A shame. I thought you'd at least get nicked by Zangetsu." He raised the body-length blade again and leapt forward at the Grinning captain.

Their blades collided, and Ichigo added strength to what had been put into his first, this time resulting in the two reaching a stalemate. In this meeting, Ichigo broke the stalemate, pushing the captain back a few paces. This, however, just inspired his grin to grow, before Kenpachi lunged forward again, his Zanpakuto aimed at Ichigo's shoulder in a harsh swipe. Ichigo stepped forward, the man's arm hitting him instead of the worn out blade. Ichigo responded to the attack by slamming the bandaged hilt of his Zanpakuto into the larger man's stomach, seemingly knocking the wind out of him and sending him back another few feet. Zaraki let out a bout of maniacal laughter.

"You must be strong!" He leaped at Ichigo yet again, the nodachi he held whistling toward the orange haired combatant's chest. "But how strong are you?!"

In response, Ichigo swept Zangetsu upwards, the two blades colliding and the unnamed, at this point, Zanpakuto being knocked completely away from Ichigo, though it remained in Kenpachi's hand. The Khyber knife slashed across the already scarred chest, cutting it open, though in a far less serious injury than just about anyone else would suffer from such an attack.

"HAH!" Kenpachi roared, and moved faster than Ichigo had come to expect from the heavy captain. His blade pierced slammed into the Khyber blade, and Ichigo stumbled back, before the nodachi stabbed through his right shoulder, inspiring a surprised gasp from Ichigo. Though it was not from the pain of such a wound...

'That voice...'

Ichigo's foot slammed into Kenpachi's gut, throwing the bigger man away and tearing the sword from Ichigo's torso.

Kenpachi's eyes widened, as he felt the Ryoka's Reiatsu skyrocket.

"_Come forth, Zangetsu!_"

And the man attacked with vigour, a second blade was in Ichigo's other hand. Zaraki would have grinned as the difficulty increased further. The Khyber knife blade slashed across his gut, followed by the Trench stabbing straight through Zaraki's shoulder. While the blade was certainly smaller than its partner, a stab wound from it was far from insubstantial; even to the captain. As blood sprayed from the suddenly unplugged wound, the spiky haired man's grin grew massive.

"Now _this_ is getting good..." Kenpachi's hand moved up to the right side of his face, and he gripped the eyepatch with his unharmed hand. "But don't grow... complacent!" The man tore the accessory off, and Ichigo's eyes widened.

This was more reiatsu than he had ever felt before. It had a very... _intimidating_ feel. The captain, ignoring the hole in his shoulder, charged forth again. The damaged blade made to bisect Ichigo, but was blocked by a, suddenly glowing, pair of unconventional blades. The Zangetsu's pushed the nodachi back, and, again, Zaraki's grin widened.

"Hah! I'm definitely not gonna kill you! This is way too much fun!" Yellow reiatsu built up behind him, and he raised his blade. "I can stop holding BACK!" He gripped the hilt of his blade with his right hand. Not an image that would normally mean much, but this, also, exponentially increased the captain's output.

'Nope.' Ichigo said to himself. 'Who knows what else he's got up his sleeves.'

The torrent of reiatsu crushed the ground, and the air whipped around Kenpachi; cutting off the sound of his opponent's voice.

"... DABURU!" Two bright blue crescents of reitsu roared towards the 11th Division Captain, running parallel to each other.

"What the..." They collided with the captain, engulfing his form briefly, and preventing him from being seen, even by his ever-loyal Lieutenant, who had just finished scaring off a messenger. As the light faded away, it showed a shocked-expression in place of Kenpachi's grin.

Two large wounds ran down Zaraki's torso; both enough to instantly render any normal person, even at full health, unconscious in an instant. As it was, the man stood gaping for a few moments, before the grin returned, his eyes close, and slumped to the ground, unconscious.

Ichigo sheathed his smaller Shikai on his right hip, and neared the unconscious man, bandages unwrapping as he neared.

"Thank you Ichi-Chan!" A pink bundle exclaimed, popping up, somehow unnoticed, on his shoulder.

"Whoa! Jeez, don't do that." Ichigo clutched his chest. "Thanks for what, anyway?"

"For helping Kenny have fun! It's been a long time since someone lasted so long in one of his games! Especially since you won!" She hopped over to her pseudo-father and lifted him, in a surprising feat of strength, before vanishing in a blur of Shunpo.

Ichigo, meanwhile, realised his clothing was drenched with his blood; from the shoulder wound made so much worse by the blade's forceful removal. He focused his reiatsu on that spot in particular, and felt his abilities drain him a little more than he already had been. The orange haired Shinigami let out a yawn, and shrugged. He might as well find somewhere to take a nap.

-()-()-()-()-

When Ichigo woke, his first emotion was, most definitely, confusion. This... room, was not where he had fallen asleep. The confusion was shortly followed by panic, and Ichigo leapt to his feet. This was furthered when he found that, as his hands went to his waist for one of his blades, they were missing.

As his hand went to his lower back, his actions were interrupted by a masculine tone.

"You were far less injured than I had expected, Ichigo." His head spun to face the cat that had spoken, and his hand dropped to his side. "I had predicted a marginal win against Kenpachi, if I am completely honest." Why was the feline's gaze on the wall behind Ichigo, when it was talking to the newly-Shinigami? Ichigo glanced down, and found his clothing had been much more... damaged in his fight than he had thought. Now, he was wearing little more than rags, and most of his body was covered only by bandages. It would be rather fortunate, soon enough, that his bottoms still covered the vital areas.

"Ah. Sorry about my state of dress." Ichigo said, misinterpreting, unsurprisingly, Yoruichi's feelings towards how he currently looked. "Oh, and, by the way, Yoruichi, next time you should be more thorough in disarming someone." His sash, with the sheathed swords attached, sat next to Yoruichi.

"What do you... Oh. You mean Tabigarasu? Hmm. I guess I forgot about that." The cat cocked its head in a more canine manner, and ran its eyes around the room. "Would you mind telling me where it is."

"I'd rather not." Ichigo looked around the room in which he had woken, too, and changed the subject. "Did you pick me up when I was napping?"

"That is right."

"Uh... How?" He looked, confusedly, at the cat. "You _really_ don't seem big enough to carry me here."

"Oh, that is an easy task in my other form." Yoruichi said, simply. Apparently she didn't notice Ichigo's befuddled expression, until he voiced his confusion.

"...Other form?" The cat responded with the same expression Ichigo currently displayed.

"Oh. I never did show you my true form, did I?"

There was a flash of reiatsu, and a cloud of white smoke, Ichigo found himself in a very uncomfortable position.

Crouched in front of the now sitting Shinigami-Human, was a purple haired, beautiful woman. And Ichigo felt his eyes drawn, like any red blooded male, to her... nether regions. She was, for lack of a better way to be described, on display. And by "on display", I mean she was very much naked.

The dark skinned woman smirked, proudly, at the change in expression of the boy she was, and she insisted to herself that this was what she was doing, teasing. Ichigo had a very obvious blush crawling up his neck, and his facial expression gave the impression of vacancy, as he forced his eyes further up her body; to look her in the eye again.

From Ichigo's point of view, however, far more than that had happened.

It wasn't exactly surprising that his Hollow spoke up. He had often referred to himself as Ichigo's 'Inner Pervert', after all.

'**Motorboat! Motorboat! Motorboat! Motorboat! Motorboat! Motorboat! Motorboat! Motorboat! Motorboat! Motorboat! Motorboat! Motorboat! Motorboat! Motorboat! Motorboat! Motorboat!**' The chant did not stop there, but Ichigo 'muted' Hichigo until the bleached Zanpakuto had gotten it out of his system.

Of the other two male spirits, neither was anywhere near as obvious as Hichigo in their interest. Tabigarusa simply turned his attention to the events unfolding, and Ichigo couldn't say for sure if Old Man Zangetsu gave any response at all, but he thought the man, as a part of Ichigo, was at least vaguely interested.

Lastly, Ichigo looked to the sole female spirit living inside his head; mentally cringing at the expected reaction, and found himself shocked. He had been dreading accusation, or jealousy, or something of the sort. His prediction was incorrect, evidently. Nejibana's interest, though far from Hichigo's level of obviousness, was quite clear to Ichigo. In fact, she seemed a little... aroused.

'I _am_ a part of you now, Ichigo-sama.' She replied to his shock. 'While I am a separate entity, I am influenced by the things you enjoy.' A disturbing thought occurred to Ichigo.

'Wait... so your kissing me was really... me kissing myself?' He asked, horrified. The Zanpakuto let out a burst of musical laughter.

'No, Ichigo. It's not that literal. What I meant was that I perceive certain things through your eyes, an so have grown to... appreciate them. My feelings toward you are my own, don't worry.' Well, that _was_ relieving to the orange haired hybrid. 'I believe that you aught to speak to the naked one,' Ichigo let out a chukle, as he met Yoruichi's eyes, and she responded with an offended look.

"Do I look funny to you?" She sounded genuinely offended, which surprised Ichigo.

"No, not at all. You look..." He trailed of, blush somehow increasing. "It's just that I believe you have earned a new nickname from my Zanpakuto."

"Oh?" The Goddess of the Flash asked, relieved.

"Aye. They're probably going to be calling you 'The naked one' from here on out." The teasing woman's cheeks only reddened a fraction of the colour that was still present on Ichigo's, before she gained a slightly evil smirk.

"Is that so?" She leant forwards slightly. "Does that mean you want me to stay naked then, Ichigo?"

Now, had Ichigo answered this question, he's have spluttered out a few denials before regaining control of himself. But Ichigo had a bit of help this time, and felt the sensation of briefly being put in the passenger seat. Nejibana, this time.

"Hmm." Ichigo felt himself respond, lips curling into a smirk, cheeks returning to their natural colour and eyes... wandering. "I think I could get used to it, naked-san." His tongue darted out, wetting his lips.

"W-What?" _Now_ she was surprised. Yoruichi had fully expected a spluttering, embarrassed Ichigo. Not one that was so confident as to tease her right back. "Wait... naked-san?" Ichigo, back in control, resembled his namesake once again. "Ichigo... was that one of your Zanpakuto?"

"Y-Yeah." Ichigo noded enthusiastically to assure her of this truth, and missed the shocked expression that Yoruichi was often finding herself wearing around the fascinating man in front of her.

"Well... I guess I really shouldn't be surprised any more." She mumbled to herself, shaking her head in a bewildered manner. Ichigo Kurosaki really was unique.

"Hey... Yoruichi?"

"Yes, Ichigo?"

"Can you please put some clothes on?" He had, now, averted his eyes from the nude form.

"Ah. I suppose that you would be more comfortable if I did, wouldn't you? I always forget the insistence that humans have for covering themselves." She found a large-collared sweatshirt... somewhere, and donned it. "I am curious, Ichigo," The purple haired ex-Shinigami began; doing her utmost to keep her voice level and finding it oddly difficult. "Is that the first time you have seen a girl naked? Your reaction was rather extreme, after all."

"Yeah, that's right." He replied, head still turned away. She was surprised by how calm he sounded. Apparently the Human-turned-Shinigami wasn't as bothered by such a comment as most men would have been. That was a good thing.

'**Hey Ichigo! Hey! Hey! HEY!**' The Hollow in Ichigo's head demanded his attention. '**She's a cat, right? And you just saw her **_**pussy**_**! HAHAHA!**' He found it far more humorous than Ichigo, or any of the others who heard.

"Well..." Yoruichi began, with a smirk that hid what would have been a genuine smile. "Would you like to see it again? Life is short after all; you should capitalise on the chance to see a hot young girl like me in all my glory." He turned to her, in time to see she had lifted her top, showing most of her body once again, and gave a visible flinch, before forcing himself to turn away, thanks to the volume of his Hollow's affirmative. Once more, Yoruichi took the reaction badly, and would have questioned the reaction, but thought better of it. Based on his reaction earlier, Ichigo _did_ find her attractive. She wouldn't worry, for now. In the future, though, she would do her utmost to... gather additional data.

-()-()-()-

"Ugh. I'd forgotten how uncomfortable it was to wear clothes." Yoruchi complained. She was now dressed in black, stretch trousers and brown shoes, a black under shirt and an orange jacket.

"You already said that, Yoruichi." Ichigo commented from his position walking next to her as they headed for what the mysterious woman had reffered to as 'the ideal place to train for Bankai'. She had Shunpo'd them to the entrance, but said that it was best for Ichigo to know where exactly they were, in case he needed a safe place while inside the Soul Society. "Hey, Yoruichi," Ichigo began, receiving the were-cat's attention. "You seem quite skilled in Shunpo." He commented.

"Oh, that's an understatement, dear Ichigo." She said, with a smirk. "Back when I was still living here, I was known as _the goddess of the flash_." She turned a glare on Ichigo as he snorted. "Are you making fun of my title, Ichigo?"

"In a way, yeah." He said, amusement heavy in his tone. "You must realise why else it may be fitting to you."

"What do you..." She remembered the other verb of 'to flash'. "Oh." Her cheeks, once again, reddened slightly at Ichigo's jibe. "Well, I got it for being the most proficient in the use of Flash Step out of all the Shinigami." Ichigo raised an eyebrow, and likely would have asked about her origins, but was stopped by the dark-skinned soul continuing. "Unless, of course, you would like to challenge me for that position." Yoruichi asked with a smirk, only for Ichigo to respond with a snort. "You sound a little overconfident there, Ichigo."

"Oh, no. That wasn't a snort of confidence. The idea of me challenin you; especially if you were that talented in the art, is ridiculous... Plus, I'm not sure being called the _goddess_ of the flash would really suit me."

"Why is it ridiculous?" She ignored the second comment. Ichigo seemed remarkably skilled in it during his fight with Kisuke. Why would he think himself bad at it?

"Oh, I don't know. Probably because, when I'm not in a fight, if I can't see a clear path to where I want to go, I'm lucky to end up even going in that general_ direction._ Let alone end up where I want to be." Yoruichi exhaled in a loud, annoyed manner.

"Yet another thing Kisuke didn't bother teaching you." She growled out, annoyed at her friend's idiocy. "Well then, take off your clothes; it's time for us to get started." She said, turning to hide her smirk.

"My clothes?"

'Damn.' She thought to herself. 'He questioned it.'

"I've yet to see anyone else Shunpo without any clothes on. Why would that be needed to train?"

"Umm..." Ichigo noted that this was the most he had seen Yoruichi blush so far. "No, t-that was a test to find out if you would obey me in this lesson. You failed!"

It probably wasn't the best way to deal with her embarrassment, Yoruichi was aware, but, nevertheless, she appeared next to Ichigo and the orange haired man was sent flying with a kick to the head from one of the greatest Hakuda practitioners the Gotei 13 had ever seen.


	7. Two on One

**Fine. One more, for some reason I feel like updating again.**

* * *

On the floor of the training grounds, created more than a century prior by Kisuke Ukitake for himself and his long-time friend and comrade Yoruichi Shihoin, Ichigo Kurosaki lay, groaning.

'Gods... She's evil.' He thought to himself, as he sat up and loked into the delighted face of Yoruichi, otherwise known, to him and his partners, at least, as Naked-san and She-Cat.

"That was excellent, Ichigo!" She exclaimed, proud of her, now stolen from Urahara, Protege. "I've never seen someone able to move so quickly in such a short amount of time. Hell, I could count on my hands the number of people I know, even fully trained, that possess such speed!" She was thrilled to teach Ichigo her specialties; though he was less than happy wth her theory that, if she used Hoho on him, it would help him master both Shunpo and Hakuda that much faster. It appeared to be true, he would admit to himself, but his learning hadcome at the expense of an unfortunate number of bruises. As well as, he would insist, at least one fractured bone.

"Oh, bite me, Yoruichi." Ichigo groaned out, then let out a yelp. "Oh, jeez!" He rubbed his shoulder. "I didn't mean literally." The golden eyed woman gave him a saucy grin.

"You should be more careful in the future, then, Ichigo. After all," She leant in close to the suddenly blushing male. "You taste so _good_." She purred, before continuing with a grin. "Hah! I knew you stll had energy to keep going!" The Human-turned-Shinigami had vanished in a blur of Shunpo.

* * *

"... Understand?" Yoruichi finished her explanation

"Yeah. I think so. Basically these Tenshintai-dolls will take the form of Zangetsu as soon as I stab my swords into them, right?" He got a nod of the affirmative. "And that will allow me to fight them; proving to the Old Man thatI'm strong enough to survive, and to Hichigo that I'll 'have fun' with his Bankai."

"That's the gist of it, yes." The 'goddess' frowned. "But Urahara told me to warn you that-"

The warning she had been about to deliver was cut off as Ichigo drew two of hs blades, one the longest; being a good half-foot longer than the average katana, and the other the size of a Wakiazashi. Each had a pitch black hilt; but the longer had a crimson guard, in the shape of a rounded-corner rectangle, and the shorter a light blue in a proper rectangle. Likewise, the Wakizashi hada sapphire, as opposed to the longer's ruby, coloured Pommel.

"I'm sorry Yoruichi. It's good of you to care, but this has to happen. If you need me to power the dolls, please just let me know."

"That wasn't it,Ichigo. They don't take much energy to keep running, as long as a Zanpakuto will be occupying it. But... why do you feel you need to do this?"

"You mentioned about the boost Shinigami get when they achieve Bankai, right? That won't happen for me until I get all of them." At her confused look, he elaborated. "The Old Man and Nejibana agreed that I might try to force the last one if I got the boost before all my spirits agreed. And, apparently, that could kill me." He had a deadly serious expression, telling her that he was entirely serious. "I beat Zaraki 'cause he was holding back, and I caught him by surprise with my last attack. If I want to rescue Rukia, I need to get that power." He was already strong, but if one of the senior captains came at him now, Ichigo would be in serious touble.

Other than a frown Ichigo didn't know the origin of, Yoruichi seemed to have accepted what he said, and gave a begrudging nod, before Shunpoing away. Ichigo took ahold of the blades' handles once more and, with a sharp yank, both came free. The dolls glowed.

* * *

"Hello, Zangetsu." Ichigo unbuckled the belt-sash holding his Zanpakuto, his final blade added to it in preparation, and placed it softly down on a nearby rock shelf.

"_Ichigo._" The Old Man replied, with a nod.

"**Hey, King.**" The Hollow grinned. "**Ya ready?**"

"I wouldn't be talking to you out here if I wasn't." He ran his hand through his messy hair. "So how are we going to do this?" The Hollow's grin decreased a little, and he shot a glare at his partner spirit.

"**Well; the old man's bein' boring. Apparently, you've gotta prove that you 'know us' before we get to fight.**" He shrugged. "**But I **_**do**_** get to attack while you do that.**"

"_That is right, Ichigo. But first..._" The Old Man waved his hand, and the remarkable power of Zanpakuto was demonstrated. Hundreds of blades, all cleaver-like in shape, appeared across the rocky terrain. It was especially frustrating to Ichigo, because they were the form he had only been told of by the two; a form that they would have appeared as had he not known their actual nature. Apparently, he would have to fight them with the two's powers, for him at least, united.

"And this is meant to be dificult for me?" Ichigo asked. "Please..." He shok his head with a more than a litle bit of frustration. "I would understand this if we were brand new to each other,but I have known you since I WAS A CHILD!" He vanished. The Old Man smirked, ever so slightly, while the Hollow snorted.

"**Told y-**" He was thrown off to the side, a kick having sent the 'man' flying.

"_Good, Ichigo._" The Trench Knife appeared in Zangetsu's left hand, and he turned to face his wielder.

Ichigo looked angry. Something that unnerved even the man opposing him. It was relatively common for Ichigo to grow irritated, or to give a psuedo-angry reaction to mocking, but... angry. That was a scary thought for a man with so many abilities. The majorty of which could, in some way, cause a _lot_ of pain to the Hybrid's adversary.

Resting on Ichigo's shoulder, there was a large Khyber knife, as tall as its wielder at a little over 6ft; though Ichigo himself was not aware that was his height, and with bandages wrapped entirely around, and flowing from, the guardless hilt.

"_You will need, Ichigo, to have true control over our abilities. I you do not, you will have to give up this mission of yours, and return to safety._"

"I know. Shall we begin?" He received no response from the Old Man, but this was enough to tell him that the spirit was ready. On the other hand, Hichigo appeared next to his temporary partner with a loud exclamation.

"**Bastard! That was a hard kick, King**!" The pale version of Ichigon was holding his own Khyber blade, though this was the one that possessed the hole from the base to the middle of its length. Despite his claims of the kick being strong, Hichigo had his ever-present grin still firmly plastered on his face. "**But, as you said, let's get ready to ruuumble! Haha! Let's go!**" The Hollow charged his wielder with a face-splitting grin.

* * *

Ichigo was realising something. These two, well, one of them at least, had a reason for requiring that they do this out in the real world. While Hichigo no doubt just wanted to fight, The Old Man must have realised that training, and by that he meant fighting, out here was far more productive than it would be in his inner world.

It was exhausting, fending off the attacks of two masterful combatants, but very useful. While he could feel his energy depleting with every bout, it would come back, startlingly quickly, with noticeably more.

As Ichigo was coming to this realisation himself, another had long since noted the rise in his power. She hadn't expected this; Kisuke had told Yoruichi that there would be a slow, steady growth.

_Slow_ was not an adjective she would use to describe this... _this_. The idea of fighting two Zanpakuto... it was laughable, she didn't know why she agreed to letting him do it; just that he assured her that he couldn't survive this trip if he didn't get past this, _very _large, hurdle.

And yet, he was holding his own.

No, not holding his own. Ichigo Kurosaki was _winning_.

It may not be obvious, and Yoruichi sincerely doubted that Ichigo himself realised it, but he was achieving near hits at least as often as _both _of his opponents combined. To him, it kmust seem like he was on the defensive as often as he was the aggressor, but the idea of that was extremely impressive in itself. The two spirits were highly skilled, after all.

* * *

"Rah!" Ichigo exclaimed, shoving the back of his Khyber to break the Hollow and his' stalemate. The bleached man stumbled back a few feet, grin faltering, and found a cleaver-blade whistling toward his shoulder. Only for the Orange haired man's blade to be stopped, mid swing, by a Trench knife Zanpakuto.

Ichigo ducked under a right hook form the, even now, composed Old Man, and ersponded in kind, swinging in an uppercut that narrowly missed Zangetsu's jaw.

With a growl of frustration, Ichigo vanished with a light buzz, and appeared mid swing behind the black-wearing Zanpakuto spirit.

"Damn." He snarled, before smirking slightly. "I almost got you that time, Old Man." The Hollow had shoved Zangetsu out of the way, and his not-quite-as-big blade was now blocking Ichigo's.

Ichigo really was surprised, to say the least. These two were usually at each others throats, but here they were working in perfect sync. Though, to be fair, they both were naturally parts of the same being; him.

Wait a minute, if that was the case then-

He was cut off by a pair of blades cutting towards him; one on each side of his head.

* * *

Yoruichi was perched on a ledge above the fighting trio, having a mental debate with herself. Should she stop him here for the night? Day one was, after all, over. Ichigo could probably use some rest, and then to sontinue in the morning. The only thing was; neither he, nor the two he was fighting, gave any sign of slowing any time soon. Unsurprising; Ichigo had trained, under Urahara, for 10 days straight with next to no sleep, and this time he had had a nap before they began. The were-cat gritted her teeth with annoyance; she was looking forward to teasing her charge some more in the hot springs. The dark-skinned beauty let out an irritated sigh, and decided to wait a while longer.

At least this was quite pleasant to watch; it turns out Ichigo had a habit of destroying his clothes in battle. Even when he himself was unmarked.

* * *

'Fine, so I don't have the best self control in the world. Sue me.' Yoruichi thought to herself, as she silently observed Ichigo pondering the wonders of the Spring water. As the orange haired Hybrid decided to try drinking it, she spoke up.

"How's the water, Ichigo?" The... man, for she did not like calling him a boy, nor did he like being reffered to as such, froze, suddenly very aware of the fact that he was naked.

"Mm-Hm." He gave a vague approving noise in response, which elected a chuckle from the Purple haired soul.

"Oh? Well, Ichigo, you make it sound so _good_, that I think I'll join you."

"Whoa! W-What?! N-No!" Ichigo turned, intending to stop her, and found a half naked Flash-Goddess to greet him. "What the hell are you- Did you just- Pants- Gahh!" He buried his face in his hands, finding this to be the best course of action for him to take, and heard a light splash.

"Oh, loosen up, Ichigo. Don't be such a prude." He could _hear_ the smirk in her tone.

You really can't blame him for peeking. He was a heterosexual, redblooded male after all.

"What? Are you a little dissapointed, Ichigo?" The masculine voice of her cat form questionned, swimming in the water. "You are, aren't you? You pervert." Ichigo grumbled something about drowned cats under his breath, and voiced a question he had had for a while.

"Hey, Yoruichi? I've been wondering for a while; why does this place look so much like Urahara's basement-training ground?" The feline turned to him with a raised eyebrow.

"Hmm? So you caught up on that, did you? We did our best to model his Human-World training ground after this one. Nostalgia, I suppose. You see, we built this one when we were kids," Ichigo let out an impressed whistle; that was quite a feat. "In order to have somewhere secret to play. When we got older, he joined the Gotei 13, and I the Stealth force; but we still came here in order to hone our skills.

"Huh? So you mean you two were-uhh..." He had turned to her, to find the cat had transformed, somehow without him noticing, back into a, naked and glistening, purple skinned goddess. His own sentiments were echoed inside his head.

'**Uhhh...**' The Hollow was too distracted to make even a single comment,

'_Ummm..._' Well, she caught Zangetsu off guard. Quite the feat.

What sounded like a satisfied growl-purr came from Tabigarasu.

And Nejibana remained silent. She had been the only one to see this coming, embarrassingly. Yoruichi obviously enjoyed teasing Ichigo. Nejibana was also the one to keep Ichigo's blood flow from reaching the two areas her wielder would not want it to go. Though she let a little of it go to his cheeks to give him what she considered to be a charming blush. Even if Ichigo simply saw it as a little less embarassing than a full-fledged one.

For over a minute, each second passing by agonizingly slowly, Ichigo and Yoruichi were unmoving, Ichigo unable to tear his gaze away; both because he was frozen and because Hichigo was putting up as much resistence as he could in order to see this site as long as possible, and Yoruichi because... well, she didn't quite know why. But it might have been hinted at with the slow, deliberate movements with which she slid into the spring.

"Right, uh..." Ichigo cleared his throat and found his previous train of thought. "Hat 'n' Clogs was a Soul Reaper? I was wondering... It didn't make sense for him to be human and have a Zanpakuto. And the two of you know so much..." He scowled. "I want to know, Yoruichi, about the guy who trained me. Who is Urahara?"

"He's the former captain of Division 12 of the Gotei 13." She looked her new-found pupil in the eye. "Just the same as I was captain of the Second. On top of that, Kisuke founded the department of Research and Development and served as its first chief..." She smiled slightly at the look of shock on Ichigo's face.

"Wow, I had no idea you were such hotshots... you two make quite the couple." He made what he had thought was a simple statement, but knew he had gone wrong as soon as he observed the look of shock, and then slight anger, for reasons unknown to him, on her face.

"Who said we were a _couple_?" She snarled at the misinformed Human-Shinigami.

'Uhh... Little help, you guys?' He requested.

'_I recommend apologizing, and assuring her that you meant no offense to her with your presumption_.' The Old man advised. A logical suggestion.

'**Squeeze her tits? Please? For me?**' The Hollow spoke up, hopeful. Ichigo _really_ doubted that would help, and so he ignored the _advise._

'No. Ichigo, you should tell her...'

"I am sorry if I caused any offense, Yoruichi. I was certain that one as beautiful as yourself would have long since found and married the man, whomever that man may be, of your dreams. But I now understand that the very notion of you finding love with a mere mortal is laughable; compared to you, their truly is no other who could hope to be so deserving of the title of goddess." Yoruichi's eyes went wide, and she stared at Ichigo in shock. Now, had anyone else tried to flatter her as such, the ex-assassin would have laughed them off with ease, and teased them in return. Ichigo, though? As he said that, there was something in his voice... a complete honesty that _reassured_ her somehow. That told her to believe him. And, if this had been any other time, to put her utmost faith in the strange man before her.

And so, Ichigo got to be the first one in well over a hundred years, perhaps ever, to see Yoruichi Shihoin light up like a lantern.

* * *

"Two days remain..." Yoruichi commented to herself, as she watched the sun rise. "Ichigo's progress... its amazing. I wish I knew just what it took to achieve the release... Urahara said he would need to subjugate the two of them in order to forcibly gain it. But _two_ of them? I don't know if he can do it." Her brow creased into a frown. "We had a 25 day grace peiod when I gathered my information, before Rukia's execution... and we've used up less than I had anticipated. Far less, in fact. But the cleaner distorted the time-line for us, so we now have 8 days left. The only thing is... any training I could do in that time would be largely useless to Ichigo. I know he can beat the Zanpakutos, but how long will it take?" She trailed off, a worried look on her face. "But... I believe Kisuke. He said that Ichigo's abilities were far greater than his own. Even if Ichigo has two enemies to face, I do believe that he will succeed."

* * *

"... tomorrow..." How strange it was that Ichigo only heard that single word. Yet he understood the conversation.

It made no sense, whatsoever for his ears, even if they were sensitive, to be so... selective. And even less for Ichigo's mind, not one of the others, nor one of the mysterious happenings that just... happened?

Renji had arrived mid way through one of Ichigo's clashes. They were too far away even for Spiritually enhanced ears to pich up the conversation between the redhead and Yoruichi; yet he did. Ordinarily, he would have wondered if that was a sign that his power was increasing. Whether he was nearing the completion of _this_.

But he didn't. His partners didn't, either. No, the two Zangetsus were staring, one visibly nervous, the other with the smallest of smirks, at their wielder, as his blade shook. Once more, he vanished.

"Sagh!" Renji said. Or at least, that was the closest Ichigo could come to understanding his noise. The tattood man was now pressed against a rocky wall, a hand wrapped around his throat.

"Did you just say... tomorrow? Tomorrow at noon?" Renji could have sworn the Ryoka's eyes were brown before. "Answer!"

"Ye-Yes." The, possibly ex, Lieutenant gasped out. That was when Rukia was, all of a sudden, set to be executed. The Red haired Shinigami dropped to the ground in a heap, just as he heard a slight _buzz_ that he couldn't place. Had he seen Yoruichi's, it would have been clear that she _could_ place it.

"_**Well then,**_" Ichigo's garbled tone rang through the cabin. "_**We best kick this into high gear**_."

* * *

"Ichigo..." A stunned, former Captain of Squad 2 spoke, voice barely above a whisper. Next to her, an even more amazed Shinigami stared at the orange haired man's heavily bleeding form as he stumbled past them, his walk an uneven gate as he used immense willpower to stay standing.

He'd... Ichigo had _terrified_ her. She was Yoruichi Shihoin; goddess of the Flash, greatest practitioner of Hoho in the history of the Soul Society, and she had been _afraid_. She considered crying, she considered screaming, she considered running to Ichigo and checking his wounds.

Then, she settled on an undignified giggle. Oh, she could not _wait_ until Hiyori met him.

As Ichigo pitched forward, into the Hot Springs, she smirked; they would have time, now, to get _that_ from where she left it. It would be fun. Maybe she'd even get to run into her old Protege. It would be nice to catch up.

* * *

"I still don't see why we need to fly." Ichigo commented, as he and Yoruichi appeared for an instant, stood atop one of the many buildings in the Seireitei. "How high can the execution stand be?" They vanished in a burst of Flash Step again.

"It isn't a matter if height." Yoruichi replied. "It would be fine, normally, to Shunpo to that height. But it is made of the same material that the outer wall is. Sekki Sekki stone disrupts the use of Spiritual powers; we would fail to reach the top without my Tentoken. Plus, unfortunately, at this point in time, it is a unique item. We have to get _mine_, else we won't succeed in your mission."

"Huh. That's a shame. I guess we'll have to be quick, right?" He glanced at the sun, partway through its rise to the peak. "Sorry 'bout sleeping so long, again." He said, sincerely, as they neared their destination. But was unprepared for the snort he got in return.

"I've got to say that I'm amazed you recovered as fast as you did. I would have been fine coming and getting it my self, you know." Ichigo simply shrugged. He might as well come along in case there was trouble. "I mean, seriously. Reitsu deprivation and blood loss are pretty serious. I still can't believe how... _violent_ those two were. Especially the older one; he seemed calm and collected, but he stabbed you right through the chest. You could have died from a wound like that, Ichigo." She said, a concerned expression marring her normally cheerful face.

"I already said, Yoruichi. That was my fault. I didn't want to get Bankai unless I _deserved _it. Defeating them properly convinced me I was." Zangetsu really wasn't to blame.

"Yeah... I still think that-"

"Oh, look. Here we are. That's their symbol, right?" Ichigo pointed at a Pasque flower, and received a nod in return.

"That's right, Ichigo. You stop here. I will signal if I need you to intervene." The goddess of Flash vanished, and Ichigo shrugged, dropping to the ground to sit and wait. She didn't tell him the signal, but hopefully he would be able to tell what, exactly, that was.


	8. Little Bee and her Blob

**Here's a chapter.**

**I own nothing.**

**Hope you all enjoy.**

Hate.

It had been a long time. A _very_ long time, since Shaolin Fon, Captain of the Second Division and the Punishment Forces, and better known as Soi Fon, felt _anything_ with such passion. Not since her idol, the woman who she had looked up to more than any other, and the one person she opened up to, had left. Left without even telling _her, _her supposedly _beloved_ pupil.

Now, though. Her _feelings_ were immense. She would kill the woman in front of her. Then, she could move on to truly do her duty and kill the pathetic Ryoka that had accompanied _her_. Was it only for show, that Yoruichi had told her the boy was a new pupil of hers? Was it just to make Soi Fon lose her ever present composure? To make her show _emotion_?

If that was so, the Traitor would get her wish. She would smile over Yoruichi Shihoin's corpse.

"I am unimpressed. For someone who has spent so many years hidden away, you don't seem to have gotten any stronger... Yoruichi." The pair were in the woods off to the side of Second Division's Headquarters; designed for stealth training in such environments.

"Oh, I assure you _I_ have. _You_ on the other hand. It seems like you've let your skills get dull and rusty." Yoruichi responded, with a smirk. Shaolin ignored the jab.

"So, why is it that you came in search of the Tentokin? Are you meaning to help the Ryoka, Yoruichi? I didn't suspect even _you_ would stoop so low." She shook her head. "Never mind, though..." Soi Fon smirked at her former mentor. Hopefully this would _hurt_. "By now, my Lieutenant will have _dealt_ with him." Admittedly a lie. She had sent Omaeda after the Ryoka, but, if the rumours of him defeating Kenpachi Zaraki were true, the brute would be killed in an instant. Even so, though... two birds, as the living were so fond of saying. "Even so, though... to see such evidence of such corruption in the Shihoin clan... it would be plenty enough for them to fall just as the Shibas. That would be a... _shame_, wouldn't it." The petite captain hissed.

"That would be true, were it not for the fact that _Ichigo-kun's_ status as a Ryoka will be rescinded soon enough." Yoruichi smirked, while Soi Fon fumed. She had never addressed _her_ with such fondness. Just who did this Ryoka think he was? "And about your Lieutenant... I think you should have sent an assassin, not a minor noble who bullied and bribed his way up to such an esteemed position." At the look of disgust on her former pupil's face, Yoruichi's smirk grew in to a full fledged grin.

"That may well be true..." Soi Fon murmured. "So I suppose I should thank you for helping me get rid of such a _pig_. I know," She gave a sinister smirk back to her enemy. "How about I make your _student_'s death quick and... relatively painless once I'm done with you? That should make up for... it..." She trailed off, as she heard what seemed to be a... scream? But why would a scream be getting louder? Getting closer? Was someone coming through the forest?

No. No, it seemed to be coming from above...

Her blob of a lieutenant, complete with his purple scarf and idiotic ornaments that he was allowed to wear, by the Central 46, because of his _position in society_, and because he believed that it 'made him look noble'. No matter the fact that the ugly jewellery _jangled_ as he walked, and purple was far from a camoflagable colour. It was a disgusting fact that he was 'entitled' to be Lieutenant of the _stealth force_ when she would bet even Zaraki had a better chance of taking an enemy by surprise.

The blob of a Lieutenant smashed into the ground with a very loud _crash_, and Soi Fon could swear that she saw the shock on his face, distorted by the ripples of fat. So the moron was taken off guard, on top of his plentiful failings? At this point, she'd rather have the Ryoka as a Lieutenant than this pig.

'Would it be too much to wish for him to die from his fall?' She wondered to herself, hopeful.

Half a second later, however, Soi Fon learned that, while her Lieutenant was about a subtle as a fat bull in a china shop, his opponent was not.

Well, not at the minute, anyway. But, hey, at least when he _was_ charging straight ahead, he had the power to back it up!

An unbelievable amount of Reiatsu appeared, in an instant, right behind the Stealth Force commander. She had, granted, felt a more overwhelming amount in Kenpachi, but for it to have been hidden so perfectly... she would not have believed it if she could not plainly feel the end result. A small blade; a Tanto, if she were to guess, was pressed under her chin; against her throat, and a strong hand was clamped on her shoulder, keeping her still.

"Well," A male's voice began, sounding slightly amused. "That's much more difficult now, I've gotta say. At some point I'll need to learn how you all manage to supress your Reiatsu so effectively." He directed the comment at her opponent, while Soi Fon remained shocked. She prided herself on her ability to never be taken by surprise. Yet... he'd... "Oi, Yoruichi, is this Captain Soi Fon, then?"

"That's right Ichigo." The Purple haired goddess smirked at Shaolin. "Do you see why I'm so proud of him now, Soi Fon?" And then, the ever cold and calculating captain just dumbly nodded her confirmation. "Hey, Ichigo, I think you might have broken her." Yoruichi commented, amused at her new pupil's success. Her eyes, then, narrowed at the blade being held by Ichigo. "Is that Tabigarasu, then?" She had yet to see it's sealed form, after all.

The weapon, around the size of a Tanto, was far plainer than was usual in a Zanpakuto. The bade itself was a dark grey, that glinted slightly; hinting at the wicked sharp edges. It was entirely straight, and double edged, the width about that of three of its wielder's fingers, and the length no more than seven inches. There was not a guard on the Tanto, the blade just curved down a little, the underside lacking the sharpness to damage Ichigo's fingers. The hilt rested comfortably in Ichigo's hand, but had no features to mark it as particularly pretty, just a ring-pommel that could be considered a little decorative. This blade was not made to be showy. Just to kill. Like its spirit form.

"Why..." Soi Fon whispered, bringing the attention of the two firmly on to her. "Why am I not dead yet?" He had a blade pressed to her throat, had her defenceless. Why hadn't he killed her?

"Eh?" Ichigo asked, surprised. "Why would I kill you? I was just trying to see what was going on here. And whether Yoruichi wanted any help?" The last was directed to Yoruichi, who shook her head.

"No, Ichigo. This is just two friends catching up; you can leave us be." She smiled at the man. "Although," She continued with a smirk. "I would ask that you take the trash you brought along with you when you leave."

"It was a good distraction, wasn't it?!" Ichigo defended, as he looked at the girl he was still holding. "Oi, if I let her go, is she going to stab me in the back?"

"Don't talk about me like I'm not here." Soi Fon hissed.

"I'm not. I just don't trust you enough to ask you directly. If you say no, I reckon you'd still be perfectly happy to slit my throat as soon as I'm defenceless." It wasn't meant as an insult. Just a statement of facts. Soi Fon was an assassin first and foremost, after all.

"Hmm, a good point well made, Ichigo." The Flash Goddess smirked at him. "Okay, then, I'll dump him back in the Barracks; you hold on to my Little Bee for a little while." She vanished suddenly.

"Little Bee..." Ichigo repeated. What did that mean? He didn't have a bee. "Oh. Is that you?" He asked the seething girl he was holding in place.

"Yes..." She growled out. What right did she have to use that nickname? If this Ryoka-boy mocked her for this, she _would_ kill him.

"Huh... Do you mind telling me why she calls you that? It'll bug me otherwise."

"_Bug _you?" The, currently very irrational, mind of Soi Fon instantly assumed that that phrase, wholly unintentional on the part of Ichigo, was meant to poke fun at her. And thus, her next action was explained.

Soi Fon, as much as she was able while her movements were being constricted by the stronger Ryoka, threw herself backwards, swinging her head back along with the momentum she gained. Her skull, with a _crunch_ that was satisfying to her own ears, smashed against her captor's nose, breaking it with gusto and electing a pained grunt.

"Shit!" Ichigo cursed, as blood poured from his nose. "That was mean, _Little Bee_." He said, slightly vindictive as he resisted the urge to bring a hand up to his painful nose. The Human-Shinigami was rewarded with a growl of frustration as Soi Fon's plan to get him to release her was unsuccessful, and he readjusted his grip to have his left arm wrapped around both shoulders, keeping her still in a far more effective manner. This, however had the unfortunate, in a way, side effect of pressing her against him, and making the, generally prude-ish, Hybrid uncomfortable.

Soi Fon, too, noticed the proximity they now shared, and was well aware of the fact that _nobody_ got this close to her. Who did this Ryoka think he was? Because she _did not_ like the feel of Ichigo pressed against her. Just the same as Ichigo _certainly_ didn't enjoy having Soi Fon's lean and firm, that being more noticeable in _certain areas_ than others, build pressed against his front.

"I wasn't trying to make fun of you, by the way. I just didn't see any resemblance between you and a bee." He winced a little as the blood-flow stopped from his broken nose. "Though now I guess it might be 'cause you've got a fierce sting." Then, he became conscious of an obvious fact. "Hmm... I wonder why Yoruichi's taking so long. She should have gotten rid of the fat guy by now..." He trailed off, before directing a question at Soi Fon again.

"Hey, why's he your Lieutenant? If you don't mind my asking." He asked, confusion evident. "I mean, I managed to catch you off guard, but it's pretty obvious you're plenty capable; even by Captain standards." That was a roundabout way of complimenting her. "So why on earth would you have such a pathetic Lieutenant?" He received a grumble in reply. "Huh? I didn't hear that."

"He's from a noble family!" She retorted, annoyed. "I don't want him as a Lieutenant! He has no stealth whatsoever, for Kami's sake! But the only criterea for a Lieutenant is having achieved Shikai. I was stuck with him because I was the only one, at the time, who didn't have the spot filled." She explained to the man. "Believe me, I've considered offing him myself more times than I care to count, but that would just get me in trouble with the Central 46."

"Oh. That makes sense, then." She felt him move slightly, nodding.

"I'm called 'Little Bee' by Yoruichi," She refrained from using the title that was still instinctual for her to refer to her ex-mentor by. "Because of the shape of my Zanpakuto in Shikai form. If you wish, I can show you..."

"Ah. I'd like to see it, but I'm not just gonna let you go and attack me with it willy nilly. Hopefully I'll see it some day when I wouldn't be on the receiving end." Ichigo chuckled. "Oh. It looks like our time's up, Captain Soi Fon of the Second Division." He commented. "It's been nice talking to you."

The arm vanished from around her shoulders, and Shaolin stumbled back a little as the body she had been leaning into vanished.

"What the- Yoruichi." She growled, realising what Kurosaki's Reiatsu had been hiding from her keen senses. Her opponent had returned, and was now across from her, a tall, orange haired man with a small blade in his hand and three strapped at his waist stood next to her. What was that she was offering him? The Tentokin!

"So that's where you went, eh Yoruichi?" Ichigo asked, realising why the dark skinned Flasher had taken so long.

"Hai. It took a little while to get into the safe." She looked at Ichigo and smirked. "I was going to say 'I hope you had no problems' but by that," She pointed at the drying blood on the lower half of his face. "I can see that you did."

"Eh." Ichigo wiped the blood away, shrugging. "I've had worse." The Purple haired woman chuckled.

"You can say that again."

"Hmm." He _had_ been in a bad way after his Bankai training. "So, did you want me out of your hair or something?"

"No, not particularly. I'd be happy for you to watch, but I figured; while I was there, I might as well fetch this. We'll need it quite soon. The clock said it was half past 10. The execution's scheduled for Midday, after all."

"Got it," Ichigo took the offered cape, and continued. "I'll be over there if you need me." He pointed off to the left, and vanished.

"Well then, Little Bee... Shall we get started?"

-()-()-()-

Ichigo sat, perched on a thick branch of a tree and watched the high speed fight with interest. It was really different to his fights in the Soul Society. His seemed to consist of fighting with brute force; him and his opponent just charging at each other in an effort to overwhelm. To be honest, he kind of thought that was what Soul Reaper fights consisted of.

It was a good job he hadn't met Soi Fon on his journey so far; else he'd no doubt be dead.

These two... not a single movement was wasted, and each strike took place faster than the majority of Shinigami would be able to follow. And that Shikai... that was deadly, for sure.

But what was up with Yoruichi?

Granted, he hadn't know the Goddess of Flash for all that long, but he was sure she had more pride than to _run_. And if she did, why wouldn't she call on him to help her?

Ichigo let out an annoyed as the petite girl chased the busty woman around in circles, before noticing that the two's path seemed to be straightening out. He stood up and blurred after them.

-()-()-()-()-

The two combatants ignored the fact that their observer had followed them, and was now, suddenly, stood on the branches of one of the highest visible trees, leant against the trunk in a far too nonchalant manner for someone watching a potentially to-the-death fight.

Ichigo was impressed by whatever it was Soi Fon had decided to do. He certainly hadn't seen or felt anything of the sort. Nor did he imagine himself to be capable of it. Even though he had a couple of techniques he, and a mentally smirking Hichigo, considered to be more effective, the idea of, what he believed to be, a combination of Kido and Hakuda was very interesting. A mix of Close and Ranged combat.

'Wow. Wasn't expecting that.' He thought to himself, as he watched his 'teacher' demonstrate the same ability; perhaps in an even more effective form, and the two created a load of devastation on the ground below.

The current Captain's anger seemed to be changing into frustration as she screamed something at the woman who betrayed her; having expected to have surpassed her mentor by now.

'_And yet,_' Zangetsu observed. '_She does not release her Bankai._'

'Good point, Old Man.' Ichigo replied. 'I wonder why that is...'

Her form was getting... well, not sloppy, but sloppier than it had been before; her anger making her too hasty. The pair appeared in the air, not too far from Ichigo himself, and they glowed a brilliant white; the Shunko being stronger than they had used yet. In fact... it almost looked like it was going to explo-

"Holy Shit!" Ichigo exclamied, vanishing as a wave of Spiritual pressure enveloped, and eradicated, the tree he had been stood on. "_That_ would have hurt." He had appeared on the ground below, not noticing that the pair had also chosen this spot to land.

"Tell me why... Yoruichi." A voice begged, and Ichigo spun on the spot.

"Why did you leave me?! I would have gone anywhere for you..." Tears streamed down the black haired Shinigami's face. And Hichigo decided this would be an appropriate time for him to make a comment.

'**Boy, you sure know how to pick 'em, King. You must have some kind of lesbo magnet.**'

'Shut up, Hollow.' Nejibana commented. 'Just because you have no genuine emotions, doesn't mean that displaying them towards one of your own gender makes one a homosexual. This is an emotional moment, and Ichigo-sama does not need your moronic commentary ruining it for him.'

The usually cold girl fell to the ground, sobbing pathetically, and Ichigo stepped forwards one; his instinct to comfort an upset woman, drilled into him throughout his childhood by Goat-Chin coming to the surface.

He was stopped in his tracks, however, by a shake of Yoruichi's head. The woman mouthed the words '_Give her space_' to him, and gave a small, sad smile. Ichigo, scowl in place, nodded once, and looked into the sky.

An hour.

* * *

On the top of the Sokyoku hill, the area in which Rukia Kuchiki was scheduled to be executed, the top officers of the Gotei 13, or some of them, at least, were gathered, as a half dozen of their forces' number walked past, surrounding the criminal in question.

The Captain of 1st Division, also known as the Captain-Commander; Genryusai Yamamoto, was stood closest, out of all present, to the execution stand and the massive Halberd stood next to it. A grey haired man, wearing a white coat over traditional Shinigami garb stood behind him, to his left.

Next along the line, there was a short woman, with black hair tied in to two extremely long braids, with her Zanpakuto sheathed horizontally behind her back. Next to her, a large, overweight Soul Reaper was stood; highlighting her small stature.

Third, Fourth and Fifth divisions were, for various reasons, absent.

There was, however, the grey haired, though not through age, Lieutenant of Squad 4; Isane Kotetsu. For some reason, her Captain was not present.

Sixth Division captain, Byakuya Kuchiki; an effeminate man, with long, ornamented hair was walking towards the gathering, running late for reasons known only to him. One would hope, however, that he was having difficulty with the fact that his sister was to be executed today. Yet, as he walked past, he did not spare her a glance.

Seventh was missing.

Squad 8 Captain, Shunsui Kyoraku, was next in line, wearing his ever present pink kimono and straw hat. His Lieutenant, Nanao, was stood to the easy-going man's side.

Ninth was missing. So where Tenth and Eleventh.

The clown-makeup wearing Captain of Squad 12, and his stoic creation-Lieutenant were stood on the end furthest from the First Division.

Squad 13, unsurprisingly, was missing. Ukitake would hate to see this.

"Rukia Kuchicki!" A booming voice rang across the rocky hilltop. "Today is the day that your sentence is to be carried out. Do you have any last words before your execution?"

If one was to listen carefully, as well as know him well, you may notice the slightest hint of sympathy in the tone of the aged Soul Reaper. But, the only one who knew him that well present was Shunsui. And the captain of Squad 8 did not often pay that much attention to the happenings around him. Not until it was entirely necessary, at least.

"Just one..." A sad, tired tone came from the prisoner. One that told everyone present that she had given up.

'Foolish girl.' Even in his own head, Yamamoto's tone was rather intimidating. 'She aught to have faith in her friend. I expect we will be seeing young Kurosaki soon, after all.' The smirk was invisible beneath the mighty beard Genryusai sported.

"Please... forgive Ichigo. Send him back to the living world, he was only trying to help me. Humans have different morals... alien to us, but he was only doing what he thought to be right." After a moment of silence, the Head-Captain spoke in response.

"Agreed. After your sentence has been carried out, the Ryoka will be sent back to the Living World, unharmed."

"Thank you, Captain-Commander, sir." Rukia said, with a small smile on her face.

"How very cruel it is... to make such a promise when he has no intent to keep it." Isane murmured, only to have a response from her, previously missing, captain.

"It is not cruelty, Isane... It is kindness, now Rukia can die a peaceful death. Knowing that her friend will not die alongside her."

'You know me well, Retsu.' Yamamoto thought to himself. 'Were this any other time, I would have spoken for that very reason.' The man had heard clearly what they said. He turned to the masked men and spoke.

"Release the Sokyoku. Undo the Seal." He ordered them, and the men, in synchronisation, began a complex movement of their hands.

The ropes previously wrapped around the body of the Sokyoku; the massive Halberd, began to unwind. Blue Reiatsu flared around the weapon, and rocketed into the sky. Across the Seireitei, people looked to the eye-catching phenomenon, as the ropes solidified and shot, like spears, into the ground below the Sokyoku Hill.

Rukia Kuchiki watched, peaceful, as each Captain dipped their head ever so slightly in anticipation.

Her hands, having been tied behind her, broke free of the rope bindings, and lifted to her sides, now parralel to the ground below. Three cubes, each pure white, hovered in front of her. Two floated in front of her hands; and prepared to lift her. The other floated next to her ankles, and the three worked in unison, carrying the small Shinigami up into the air slowly; stopping only once she had reached the stand. Now, she floated as though pinned to a crucifix, but with an expression of acceptance as she awaited the beginning of her end.

"Come now, Nanao-Chan. Don't go getting emotional on me." Kyoraku said softly to his Lieutenant. "Else I'm likely to break down too." The Lieutenant had been gazing sadly at Rukia, but now sighed and dipped her head to face the ground.

"Yes sir. But it was not sadness I felt. You needn't worry."

-()-()-()-()-

No more than 5 minutes later, there were a range of emotions on those present; from sympathy, to worry, to what seemed to be glee from one, more than slightly psychotic, captain.

Rukia Kuchiki was staring, through squinted eyes to reduce the light, into the face of an incredibly large, and very, _very_ hot Phoenix that was floating in front of her, beak reared back, preparing to kill.

She was okay with that.

It was said that death by Sokyoku was so quick... instantaneous, in fact, that the prisoner felt nothing. And so, she was not afraid.

No, Rukia was glad. Glad that the Head-Captain had made his promise. That she knew that Ichigo; the fool that had followed her to her doom, and her... friend. That Ichigo would live to see the others again. She could not forgive herself if she robbed Yuzu and Karin of the brother they thought the world of.

'I am not afraid... I... I have lived a good life. To be blessed with the friendship of Renji and all the others. By Nii-sama's adoption... To be guided by Kaien. And finally... by Ichigo, and his insistence on trying to rescue me. I am glad. I can die knowing I have no regrets... I am at peace. My heart leaves nothing behind.' The girl gave a smile, even as tears ran down her cheeks, turning to steam even as they did.

"Thank you..." She sighed, and her eyes closed. "Farewell..."

-()-()-()-()-

"Stupid girl."

Rukia's eyes snapped open, and found herself looking at... at what? A man floated, between her and the released Sokyoku, with his head and face obscured. Held behind his back, there was a very large Khyber knife, with bandages wrapped around the guard-less hilt. Light shone through a hole running from the base of the blade to the middle of its length, and cast the man's face in to even deeper shadows.

"I distinctly remember giving you and order to _never_ die alone." She could hear a smirk in his voice.

"K-Kaien?" She was shocked. Of course she was shocked. Her mentor. The mentor that she had _killed_ had apparently returned from the dead.

"Eh. Something like that." His hand moved to the waist of his cloak, and he moved it away from the blades underneath. Rukia's eyes widened further as she spotted the familiar katana; a dark blue hilt with a rectangular guard, only with smooth round edges.

"Nejibana..." The Kuchiki girl whispered, amazed. Or at least, she _thought_ that was amazement. When her mysterious saviour raised his hand to the hood, and swept it off; displaying messy orange hair, the poor girl fainted.

"Oi, Rukia?" Ichigo asked. "Hey, you o..." The Ryoka trailed off, as the pressure on Zangetsu was removed and he felt... something.

What the hell did he feel?

His body moved. His hand relaxed, and Hichigo vanished, though where it went was something the observers would not know for quite a while yet.

'What are you doing?' He asked his silent partner, and got no response.

'Guys? What's going on?'

'_We don't know, Ichigo. This is Tabigarasu's doing, and he rarely shares his motivation with us..._' Zangetsu confirmed that they, too, had no idea what was going on.

This wasn't right. Sure, he possessed the capability to temporarily take the driver's seat, like the others did, but Tabigarasu had never shown the slightest desire to do so. But, like The Old Man said, none of them really understood Ichigo's final Zanpakuto. Ichigo was able to, usually, understand Tabigarasu simply because the Gauntlet-Shikai'd spirit was a part of him, but it was a daunting task to get inside the head of a creature so different to oneself.

In mid air, Ichigo Kurosaki's body, torn from his control, turned around to face the monstrous sized fire-bird. Kikoo.

'Why did I call it Kikoo?' Ichigo asked, voice strained as he fought for control of his body. He was slowly, too slowly, prying control away from Tabigarasu as his eyes locked on those of the... creature in front of him.

The giant Zanpakuto, for something _strange_ told Ichigo that is what the avian was, let out a cry. A strange sound for it to make. Not that of anger, as you would expect from a weapon of execution, nor one of sadness, as would come from one imprisoned for countless centuries.

Instead, it was one of joy.

The joy of siblings reunited.

Kikoo, as it stared into the, now glowing crimson, eyes of Ichigo Kurosaki, let out an... excited trill. Ichigo felt his mouth move, and a strained voice, as though the speaker did not quite know _how_ to speak, wheezed out.

"Sis...ter..."

The bird lunged forward, piercing the chest of Ichigo Kurosaki.

A scream tore through the air, and the Ryoka's body fell.

* * *

**One last thing that doesn't actually concern Savage; I'm still writing Feral and Purgatory (My HP and PJO fanfics) but writers' block can be a right Bitch, and so I'm having a lot of difficulty with the next chapter for each. At the very latest, I'll post one of each on Friday. Hopefully it'll be Wednesday.**

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	9. Aaah!

**Hello again. Here's another chapter of Savage.**

**Hope you all enjoy it.**

**Please Follow/Favourite/Review.**

* * *

The stereotypical waking up of a hangover.

Not what Ichigo had expected to do mid way through the day of Rukia's execution.

The world before the Human-turned-Shinigami blurred, spun and throbbed all at once, even while he was sprawled out, flat on his back on what felt like concrete...

Weird, he hadn't seen any urban areas in the Soul Society so far. Why was it different now? And why did he hear a... rumble? That was strange, for sure. It almost sounded like an...

"EARTHQUAKE!" He shot to his feet, planning to alert anyone he could find; the practise he had been taught while at school. Getting the little kids to safety was of utmost importance.

Well, that had been the plan. As it turns out, Ichigo just fell back down, this time landing on his face instead of his back.

That was a lot more uncomfortable, and so he let out a pained groan that was, apparently, well received.

A... _tinkling_, for lack of a better word, reached the 'hungover' man, and Ichigo flopped over to try to locate the source of the noise. He found it soon enough, and was unsure of just how he should react to such a sight.

A beautiful girl, and he couldn't help but notice how rare it was for him to meet ugly ones, looked down at him curiously. And by looked down, he meant that she was suddenly bent over so that her face was, perhaps, 2 inches from Ichigo's face.

"Bahh!" Ichigo yelled, shocked.

"Eeee!" The mystery woman responded; not moving her face so much as a millimeter away.

"What the..." Ichigo muttered, as the strange girl _coo_ed and bent further, nuzzling Ichigo's face with her own. As the woman finished... whatever she was doing, Ichigo noted a more worrying fact than the girl's behaviour. Though only by a narrow margin.

Her head was on fire.

No, wait. Her _hair_ was on fire.

Or was her hair just fire?

Yes, he was going to settle on her hair consisting of fire. For some reason, he didn't freak out as much as he should have done. Ichigo just shot to his feet, forgetting his killer headache in an instant, and patted his head, followed by his torso, checking for burns.

Truth be told, he wasn't even that shocked when he didn't find any. The girl appeared as though she should have, at the very least, third degree burns on her scalp, but seemed happy.

He turned to the hot-looking, in more ways than one, girl, with his hands still positioned on the back of his head where he had most recently checked for the injuries, and found the girl there, standing with her hands placed on the back of her head.

Ichigo removed his own, and she followed.

He raised his right hand, and she raised her's. His left, and she copied. He tilted his head to the side, in a show of confusion, and she did the same.

"Who are you?"

_Chirp_.

"You're... chirp?"

She shook her head, and tilted it to the side, before raising her arms from their position at her sides, and beginning to... flap them.

"You're... a bird?" She nodded enthusiastically, and pointed at her flaming hair. "A bird... fire... Oh! Are you saying that you're the... Sokyoku?" She gave a grumpy-sounding huff. "Okay, not the Sokyoku... are you Kikoo?" She smiled happily and gave a pleased _chirp_. "Okay, then..." Ichigo looked around, and found he instantly recognised his, slightly destroyed, as though an earthquake had struck it, inner world. "Do you know why you're in my inner world, Kikoo?" She gave another happy nod. "Do you know where one of the others is?" _Chirp_ and she skipped away. Ichigo assumed he was meant to follow her. So he did.

"Ah." Ichigo commented, as they reached another of his Inner World's residents. "Hi, Tabigarasu. Sorry, I kind of meant one of the others that can explain how Kikoo has come to be in my mindscape."

Truth be told, Ichigo was a little afraid of Tabigarasu. He stood around as tall as Old Man Zangetsu; so Ichigo was looking him in the chin when they were stood toe to toe. Furthermore, he wasn't human. He was... hell, Ichigo didn't know what he was. He appeared to be a... shadow, or something. Just an indistinct, human-shaped, mass of darkness with disturbing, blood red eyes.

He nodded slowly, understanding, before raising his hand and making a beckoning, 'follow me' gesture and turned tail. Kikoo hung back, and began walking besides Ichigo, chatterring excitedly, despite the fact that Ichigo couldn't actually understand what she said. Even so, Ichigo enjoyed the happiness she seemed to transfer to him, as her wide smile never dropped off her face.

-()-()-()-()-()-

"_Hmm?... Okay... Got it... Right... Okay, thank you, Kikoo._" Zangetsu could understand her apparently; because he was a Zanpakuto himself. He turned to his wielder with a slight frown. "_Okay, Ichigo. I can explain it in detail, or just a summary, if you would rather. I would recommend being quick about this though. Time passes at a slower rate in here, as you know, but you are running out of time outside._"

"Okay. Just summarise it." Ichigo had sat on the ground, with Kikoo sat next to him, Zangetsu across from him, and Tabigarasu... oh, apparently he had left for somewhere.

"_Kikoo is Tabigarasu's sister, apparently. While he had never told us, we have long suspected that he had more to his story. It was, in simplified terms, that there used to be an old method of execution... they would strip the soul away, in order to prevent reincarnation. Tabigarasu, and Kikoo where the Zanpakuto of the only two Soul Reapers to be killed in that manner. Tabigarasu vanished into the Human World, as he was a, for lack of a better word, _free_ Zanpakuto. It sounds like he had an... unpleasant time. Kikoo, they were prepared for and, somehow, they captured her. That is how she became 'the Sokyoku'._" The girl next to him was sombrer than she had been so far. Ichigo didn't like that, and wrapped an arm around her; a smile came back to her face, and was directed at her newfound wielder. _"Now, she's here. And... well, you've got another partner, Ichigo._"

"And I'm glad." Ichigo said, with a grin at the flaming haired girl. Orange-Yellow eyes met brown as her relief, evidently she had been worried about his reaction to her needing him to wield her.

Honestly, though, what would the be the downside? Ichigo couldn't think of one, but couldn't help but worry about whether he was tempting fate.

-()-()-()-()-

'Hmm.' Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto thought to himself. 'I didn't expect this...' The Ryoka, Ichigo Kurosaki, crashed into the ground, bringing up a cloud of dust, at the bottom of the execution stand, just as Jushiro Ukitake arrived in a blur of Shunpo. For some, strange reason, he was holding a large, noble family's shield, with a cord attatched that seemed to have two sword-sized slots. It must have been from the Shihoin clan, since Yamamoto knew the symbol well.

Granted, he had been, for lack of a better word, cheering on Kurosaki Ichigo since the invasion started, but the idea that two of his captains, for surely Shunsui was assisting his friend, had been on the side of the Ryoka rubbed Genryusai the wrong way.

"I'm afraid you're too late, Jushiro." The 8th division captain said, calmly, to his friend.

"What? You mean Rukia..." His gaze snapped up to the stand. "No. No, Rukia seems fine... but where... Where is the Sokyoku, Shunsui?" His tone conveyed the sickly captain's confusion.

"It seems the Ryoka beat you to it, old friend." He nodded towards the unconscious stranger.

"He... How?" The white haired man gasped, not understanding in the slightest what was meant by that statement. Ukitake was under the impression the Shihoin Shield was the only thing capable of such a thing.

"Not a clue." The woman's-coat-wearing Captain returned his gaze to the spot at the bottom. "Perhaps... we aught to ask him." The boy was no longer there; but it was rather clear where he would have gone. So, Kyoraku tilted his head up in time to see a burst of water spray Rukia Kuchiki in the face, waking her up quickly.

"Bah! What the hell, Baka?!" The 'midget' gasped, as she was woken in a less-than-enjoyable manner.

"What?" Ichigo retorted. "It's your fault for choosing such a dumb time to fall asleep." The trident vanished, to be replaced by a large Khyber knife. "Now, hold still, I need to get you free." The flying man flipped over the top of Rukia, and landed on the stand itself.

"W-What are you doing, Ichigo?" She had decided that was the best thing to call him, even if he possessed Nejibana. At that thought, she glanced down at the ground; surely Captain Ukitake had seen the Shikai. Yep, he had. The normally composed man was stood, staring at Ichigo with his mouth agape. After all, if you died the hair black, he would look almost exactly like kaien; _and _he had the Lieutenant's Zanpakuto. She could almost _hear_ her captain wondering if he was seeing a ghost. "Why are you here?!" Apparently the situation had registered with her. "I told you not to come here! I told you I'd never forgive you!"

"Ain't it obvious? I'm going to smash this stand. Besides; I'd rather have you alive and pissed at me than dead and not." He smirked, as he threw Zangetsu into the air, and began to spin it, once more, like a buzzsaw.

"What?! Y-You can't! The stand! It's too strong, you'll kill us both!"

Ichigo ignored the worried exclamation, and carried on.

-()-()-()-()-()-()-

Soi Fon, Captain of the Second Division, was stood, watching with shock only slightly better hidden than the others around her; though the contrast on her ordinarily emotionless face was greater than any of her fellows.

It was almost hilarious, the baffled look on Ukitake; one of the oldest, and best informed, captain's face. Well; it was _almost_ hilarious to Soi Fon. Kyoraku was snickering into his hand; doing a rather poor job of hiding his amusement.

As Ichigo, though she didn't know when she started calling the Ryoka by his given name, was berated by the prisoner, the petite Captain spotted a blue glow from beneath his scowling brow; it was a common indication of a Shinigami focusing their Reiryoku.

'Surely he's not going to-' She was cut off by Ichigo, indeed, catching the cleaver-like blade, tip pointed down, with both hands gripping the bandaged hilt.

Ichigo may have given a grunt, or something of the sort, from the massive burst of Reiatsu he gave off, but it was entirely drowned out by the incredible, concussive force that burst forth from stand, originating at the point into which the orange haired human stabbed his Khyber's tip.

The now openly amazed, small in stature, Captain noted dispassionately that her so-called Lieutenant had been knocked to the ground, while the second-seat officers of the others had been swiftly caught by their captains to prevent the same fate. Even Yamamoto had outstretched his cane and, with ease, supported his, admittedly less than the other Lieutenants, overwhelmed Vice-Captain.

-()-()-()-

"You get real annoying sometimes, Rukia. With your 'You can't do this' and your 'Don't save me'. Don't you ever get tired of being wrong?" A voice came from inside a cloud of dust that had now engulphed the prisoner and her saviour. "That's why I don't listen to you." The dust cleared, showing a tall, orange haired man nonchalauntly carrying the Kuchiki girl.

"I'm not going to say... thank you..."Rukia muttered, tearing up as she dangled from Ichigo's grip.

Down below, the prevalent emotion was one of shock.

"The... Cross..." Isane Kotetsu murmured, amazed at the fact that majority of the joining bar from the stand was simply _gone_.

"H-H-He busted it!" Kotsubaki, the male 3rd seat of Squad 13, exclaimed.

"Wh-What the hell is he?!" Omaeda yelled. Though that tended to be the way he said everything.

The Captains, meanwhile, as well as the other seated officers, remained silent; focused entirely on the man stood atop the stand's remnants.

"Ichigo..." The girl under his left arm began. "I have to ask; what is your plan now? How are we going to escape from... here? There's no clever way for us to vanish in front of so many skilled eyes, and high ranking officers, is there?" She gave a halfhearted gesture downwards towards the Shinigami, as her bloodflow was directed towards her head.

"Make a run for it?" Ichigo suggested, with a shrug.

"Make a- _Make a run for it_?! _That_ is your plan?!" She exclaimed, far louder this time. "We can't get away, you Baka!"

"Eh? Okay, then, I'll beat them all first. Then we won't have anyone to chase us." He looked down at them, judging who the ones he'd been told not to fight outright were. "Or I'll hand you off to Yoruichi and cause a big enough distraction for us al to have long enough to escape."

"You mean you are going to stay behind?! No! No, I refuse!" The girl sreeched at Ichigo. "You can't expect me to just leave you here to die!"

"Who said I expected to die? I'm faster than that lot... in a straight line, at least."

"You can't outrun my brother, Ichigo!"

"First; yes I can. Second; I intend to beat the shit out of your brother before I go. I have a score to settle with him."

"You can't beat him either!"

"Disagree." At this, the noises of a commotion reached them. Ichigo let out a surprised noise. "Hm? What was that?" A heavilly bandaged, red, pineapple haired Shinigami was seen, just having knocked out the last of the Kido corps present. "Oh? You finally got here then, Renji?" Ichigo questioned, calling to the, now down on one knee from pains in his gut, Soul Reaper.

"Renji!" Rukia called subsequently, relieved he had not died.

"Rukia!"

"I'm so glad to see you're alive!"

"I figured you'd show up." Ichigo commented.

"Damn right. If I didn't come, who'd save Rukia?"

"Me, probably." Ichigo smirked, drawing a vein out in Renji's forhead. "But, anyway, get ready."

"What do you mean 'get ready'? W-Wait... Y-You wouldn't..."

Ichigo had lifted the girl, with ease, above his head. Almost in the position to... throw her.

"Oi, Ichigo! W-What are you doing?!" Rukia demanded, as her savior drew back.

"CATCH!"

With a scream, Rukia was thrown down, through the air, towards Renji.

"CRAZY BASTARD!" Renji yelled right back.

Rukia and Renji collided and, bringing up a cloud of dust in his wake, the red haired man dug a trench through the ground behind him.

"YOU CRAZY LUNATIC, ICHIGO!" Rukia screamed at the man who had just thrown her.

"WHAT'D YOU DO IF I'D DROPPED HER, YOU DUMBASS?!" In response, Ichigo's Khyber knife vanished.

"Fuck off." His voice carried.

"WHAT WA-"

"FUCK OFF! Take her and go! Now! That's what you're here for, right? So GO!" He reached a hand up to the brooch, or what seemed to be a brooch, of his cape, and it disconnected, flying into the air and, unknown to those present, being picked up by servants of the Shihoin clan.

As the Red haired man took off at a sprint, ignoring the strain his body felt, and the soft protests of his charge, Soi Fon performed her role rather well... Well, Ichigo thought she was playing the part, but she might have wanted the two she still kind of perceived of as criminals caught. It was her duty, after all.

"What are you waiting for, you imbeciles?!" She roared at her nervous Lieutenant. "All Lieutenants AFTER THEM!"

Recieving confirmation from their own captains, Chojiro Sasakibe and Isane Kotetsu, as well as Marechiyo Omaeda, took off at a run after them. Only to leave Ichigo wondering why they did not use the speed technique virtually all officers were familiar with.

Instead, they allowed Ichigo to intercept them with the same technique. The orange haired man appeared in front of them; arms relaxed at his sides. The trio, and those behind them, got a good look at him now.

The Ryoka was wearing a sleeveless Shihakusho, that was a solid, Jet black. It was slightly form fitting on his upper body, though not enough to constrict, and therefore hinder movement, but was looser on his lower, allowing his legs, as well as his arms from having no sleeves, to move freely. A red sash wrapped around his waist, supporting a katana with a dark blue hilt, and was the only colour, other than his hair, that was obvious to them at this point. Plain black shoes sat on his feet.

What drew their attention, however, was that in the center of his chest, the material was burned away in a perfect circle about 5 inches in diametre, hinting at a muscular chest beneath. Well, that was the second thing. The first was that every inch of his arms, and presumably his covered body, other than his hands and face was covered in bandages. Likely from the hilt of the Khyber they had seen before. Two of the three would have commented on the presumed injuries, had the third not interrupted.

"GET OUTTA THE WAY!" Omaeda roared.

"_Sprint, Itegumo!_" The female Lieutenant present exclaimed, followed by the white haired man, who had yet to speak. The main body of her Zanpakuto thinned and straightened, while two new blades appeared next to it; branching off slightly.

"_Pierce, Gonryomaru!_" His blade turned to a rapier.

"_Crush, Gegetsuburi!_" The fat man's blade turned into an oversized flail, with large spikes sticking from the ball hanging on the end of a long chain.

Which was promptly shattered. The three Vice-Captains were confused.

Why had Gegutsuburi smashed?

That was also where their attention was. And, so, they did not notice the fact that Ichigo was now stood behind the oversized Soul Reaper, his foot raised as he faced the Lieutenant.

Ichigo's leg snapped straight, slamming into Omaeda's back, and sent the heavy Shinigami flying with a _crunch_. He moved faster than he would have been capable of, outside of Flash Step and of his own volition, and sailed towards the fleeing pair, and past them, while screaming profanities due to a mixture of pain and frustration. Mostly pain.

Taking advantage of the Vice-Captains' surprise, Ichigo moved, in a blur, to the First Division's Lieutenant. An open palm of the Ex-Human slammed into the orange skinned Lieutenant's jaw, sending him to the ground; unconscious.

The grey haired Officer had the time, just about, to widen her eyes before man's palm hit her in the gut; knocking the breath from Isane and rendering her unconscious in an instant.

Genryusai was, understandably, surprised. His Lieutenant possessed Bankai, and Isane Kotetsu was no pushover either, yet young Kurosaki had had no difficulty with either of them whatsoever. It was a rare feat to be able to defeat two Lieutenants without so much as the use of one's Zanpakuto. Even some of the captains would be hard pressed to do so without their Shikai.

It really highlighted the difference in the powers of his fellows.

On one level, not to sound arrogant, he would place himself. That much would have been true for anybody that possessed Ryujin Jaka, and Yamamoto very much wished to observe the power of the Sokyoku to know the strength when it was in the possession of a wielder. He knew the origin of his greatest execution tool, and was sure that it had found a new host. That was the only explanation of recent events the Head-Captain could think of.

Next, he would have to say that Shunsui, in the event that he applied himself, was the strongest of his Captains. He outdid Jushiro for the simple reason of the latter's sickness, and Restu was... complicated. He was unsure where to place her on the ranking, but figured it would be below his lazy student.

After that, it became more difficult to decide which of the captains were most capable; potentially coming down to the variety of their skills and how they would fare against one another.

The most obvious example would be Captain Hitsugaya. He had great potential, for sure, but was still too untrained to have mastered his own powers. It was strange that he saw this as more of a problem for Toshiro than Ichigo, but the Human-turned-Shinigami had an incredible growth rate from what the Captain Commander had seen. But to what extent this was true would be revealed soon enough, for sure.

Zaraki, too, was tough to define. He was incredibly strong, but his skillset consisted of very little in comparison to the others of his rank. He was far too reckless in Genryusai's opinion.

Captain Kuchiki was too... stifled. Held back by himself by his strange sense of duty. The Head Captain would expect, from the most senior of his captains, for the decision to execute a family member to be _questioned_ at the very least. Here, Ukitake was rebelling for the sake of one of his Division members.

Soi Fon was similar, her worth was diminished by her inability to look at things in a more detached manner. She was obsessed with fulfilling her duty _solely_ to her superiors. Although... that may be changing, since she had been reunited with the woman who had turned her into such an emotionless killer.

Aizen... Well, he was too secretive for a definitive ranking, but had struck Yamamoto as a strong Shinigami.

Komamura was loyal solely to Genryusai himself, because of the gratitude he felt towards somebody looking past his outward appearance to the man beneath. That may be a god thing, but Yamamoto was well aware that he himself _was_ fallible.

Kaname Tosen was, of course, hindered by his blindness but had long since learned how to get around that using his Spiritual powers. He was powerful, and had a useful Zanpakuto even if Yamamoto could see obvious flaws in it, but had a strange overconfidence in his own perception. He would not take the opinions of others into account when deciding the best course of action. His Bankai, too, was fairly easy to circumvent if you knew its nature. If one simply ran in one particular direction, they'd escaped it soon enough because of its range.

Gin Ichimaru was... different. He made virtually everyone uneasy because of his nature, and Genryusai would rather not have someone like that in such a powerful position. He believed that Gin was, somehow, involved in the slaughtered town that had recently been discovered. Ichimaru was... amoral.

The unease Gin inspired was overshadowed, however, by the final captain. Mayuri Kurotsuchi was a _disturbing_ man. His treatment of his subordinates, especially Nemu, his lieutenant, disturbed virtually everyone. And that was without delving into the... experiments performed by the scientist. Genryusai missed Kisuke Urahara when he was forced to deal with the man's replacement.

As these summaries ran through the aged Captains mind, the events on top of the Sokyoku hill had evolved.

Ichigo Kurosaki spun, while drawing his single visible Zanpakuto, and snapped to attention, his sword held to block an invisible blow. His opponent's speed was shown once more in that moment.

"I've already told you. I see you..." Ichigo began, with a grin resembling that of his Inner Hollow. "Byakuya Kuchiki!"

* * *

**Sorry 'bout ending it there.**

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter anyway.**


	10. Byakuya Kuchiki

**Here's another one. The only chapter for about two weeks I'm afraid, since I'm in Florida on holiday for Half-Term and thus away from my computer. I hope you like the chapter, though, and that more people review, follow and favourite than have been so far. I'm probably just spoilt since my other two stories seem to be getting more interest, but the lack on Savage is a little disheartening. This is an action filled chapter, hope you all like that.**

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"I can see you... Byakuya Kuchiki!"

Soi Fon, of the Stealth Force, heard that exclamation. But was not, at this point, paying any particular attention to it. She had sneaked forwards, while the attention of everybody present was elsewhere, and placed a small string of yarn on the shoulder of a certain clown-faced Captain that had been inching forwards towards Ichigo earlier in the events of today. He had clearly had a... hungry look on his face, wanting to examine the intruder. That had... bothered Soi Fon. She knew it would also anger Yoruichi so... why not mark him as their target?

That was why, now, she was stood in close, though not suspiciously so, proximity to him and his Lieutenant, awaiting her ex-mentor's arrival. Soi Fon was sure that it would be soon.

"Nemu?" Kurotsuchi gained his creation's attention, indifferent. "Deal with the traitorous third seats." The Captain kept his attention on the battle that involved his new-found test subject.

"Yes, sir." The robotic girl drew her blade, and appeared behind the unprepared form of Kiyone Kutetsu. In a flash, she had cut her opponent down. Not a killing blow, but plenty to render her incapable of assisting her captain further.

"Kiy-ohh!" Her fellow, Sentaro Kotsubaki, began to call for her, likely to check she was alive, but felt the AI's blade cut into his unprotected back, too.

"Hold it, Kurots-" Ukitake's worried yell was halted, along with his running over to assist his subordinates, by a cane slamming into the ground in front of him. He looked up to find the face of his long-time mentor staring back at him, emotions unreadable.

"Nobody move!" Yamamoto ordered.

"Genryuusai-dono..." Ukitake trailed off.

"The Lieutenant is unimportant! He will be easy to replace, and can be left for later along with the prisoner." He said, convincingly. Yamamoto had predicted that Abarai Renji would mount some sort of attempted rescue. Though, admittedly, not that it would take place at the time of the execution itself. "You two, however, are Captains of the Gotei 13!" He directed at Shunsui and Jushiro. "Your crime of treason _cannot_ be forgiven for even a moment! You know what this means." He readied himself for the coming fight. He would have to battle his 'sons' lest the traitor catch wind. On the upside, this would help the Head-Captain understand the strength of his subordinates better; something he was always in favour of.

"Okay Dokay! No choice, then! Let's g, Jushiro!" Shunsui Kyoraku grabbed his old friend by the shoulder, and they vanished in a flash of Shunpo; soon followed by Nanao and Genryuusai.

Kurotsuchi, left behind, just grunted in reaction to the four vanishing, assuming that he was now alone to observe the upcoming bout between Captain Kuchiki and the Ryoka. That thought was forcefully removed from his head as he sensed a fast moving blip coming towards him, his silent lieutenant, and the Reiatsu-hidden Soi Fon.

Even so, he had not reacted fast enough to avoid the disguised figure of Yoruichi Shihoin as she crashed into him in a blur of Hoho.

At the same time, a foot crashed onto the shoulder of Myuri's creation's shoulder, heel first, and sent Nemu to the ground in a heap. Soi Fon promptly followed Yoruichi's signature, being quite fond of the idea of hurting the disgusting captain and not wanting to miss her shot.

-()-()-()-()-

Byakuya looked pissed... Or at least, Ichigo figured this was what the stone faced noble looked like when angry.

And Ichigo was delighted about that. Right now, he was very, very happy to be able to get under the posh bastard's skin before the fight started. He, in Ichigo's, and all the others, mind deserved it for being such a colossal douche-bag.

'**King, I've gotta say; if you don't let me at least cut him up a little, I'm gonna be **_**real**_** ticked off. I get that the others might wan' a go, too, but this dickwad deserves a **_**lot**_** of pain.** **I mean, I ain't sentimental or any of that shit, but even **_**I**_** know that lettin' your sister get hurt like that is a total dick move.**'

'A good a summary as any. Is it just you that wants to fight?'

'_No, Ichigo. I'm afraid that myself, Tabigarasu and Kikoo all certainly want to be involved in this fight. We imagine it will be the culmination of this... trip._'

'I do too! I can just talk for myself.'

'Great... So, all of you? How do I manage that? I'm not sure this dude's worth using all of you at once, after all.'

'_Hmm?_' The Old Man was silent for a few seconds, having a conversation with the non-verbal spirits. '_Well, Tabigarasu is the easiest to use alongside any of the rest of us. And you would usually dual wield me and Hichigo. It should be plenty doable._'

'… Yeah, I guess you're right.'

'**Ooh! I want you to use my Bankai, too!**' Hichigo added, not wanting to miss the opportunity.

'That really would be overkill.'

'**So?**'

'So, I don't think it's worth wasting the first time I use a Bankai in a fight I could win without. If he surprises me, and manages to force it out of me, I'll use it. If you want, I'll see if I can find another fight after this.'

The Hollow just huffed, and fell silent as he waited for his Shikai, at least, to be used.

Outside of Ichigo's head, the Reiatsu of the two fighters collided, as their blades did the same. Senbonzakura and Nejibana's sealed katanas smashed against each other and the resulting force cratered the ground beneath the Human and Shinigami.

"So you have mastered the Flash Step." Byakuya commented, as the two appeared on opposite sides of the created hole. Ichigo responded with a shrug and a nod. "However-"

"Shut up. I knew you'd act aloof; tryin' to analyse my fighting style, learn my weaknesses and all that. Even if you think you don't need to. But I'll warn ya now. You don't have time to be doin' that. If you don't fight with everythin' you've got... I'll kill ya. Use your Bankai!" The katana, shockingly, vanished before the 6th Squad Captain's eyes in a flash of blue Reiatsu. It was replaced by a small, vicious-looking Tanto-sized-blade.

The Kuchiki head was further shocked by the Ryoka's next actions. Ichigo placed the blade against his left arm, and drew it across his bandaged flesh. Blood poured down the man's forearm and drenched his hand in an instant.

"_Savage, Tabigarasu!_" A clawed gauntlet formed on the Ryoka's left hand, running up to his elbow, and was quickly duplicated on his right. Though there was no visible explanation for his blood reaching the hand with no wound.

Useless bandages fell to the ground.

"I must ask; why is it that you are wearing those bandages? I can't imagine that you would be dumb enough to come to fight me with such... injuries." Byakuya asked, expressionless mask still present.

"Eh? Oh, no I'm not injured whatsoever. You see..." He rubbed the back of his head, a little sheepish. "This woman that's helping me demanded that... since she was the first girl I saw naked, and since I apparently have a tendency to lose my clothes when I'm fighting, she's entitled to see me _like that_ before 'that stuck up Baka', by which I think she meant you."

"And who would this woman be?"

"Yoruichi Shihoin... Ah. I'm guesssing you know her, then." The Captain had had a strange, involuntary tick in his eyebrow.

"She is a... rather irritating woman." He had visibly fought off his instinct to call her something less polite, before focusing back on the matter at hand, and peering at the red gauntlets with a frown. "That is not one of the forms I saw when you were freeing the criminal."

"You mean your sister." He corrected, with a scowl at that fact. "And I realise that this isn't the same, dumbass; they're my Zanpakutos." Two blades, one an abnormally long katana, and the other a Wakizashi, appeared in his right and left hands respectively.

"I see." No, he didn't. "And what is responsible for your own physical changes?"

"Changes? What do you mean?" Ichigo asked, an eyebrow raised.

"You have aged." Byakuya pointed out. It was a rather obvious change.

"I've aged? What do you mean?"

"I _mean_ you look older. Are you being deliberately stupid?" He received a scowl in response, and Ichigo directed a question into his inner world.

'_Apologies, Ichigo. I thought we had discussed this. Being in a Reiatsu-rich environment meant that the time spent in your inner world with us affected you. Don't worry, you didn't age the number of years you would have done with that length of time in the real world. In fact, it has been beneficial to you; your spirit form has only aged a few years, and this means that you are closer to your peak age at the moment. Around... 18? 19? I am not sure of the exact amount of time._'

'Right... anything else you need to tell me about this?'

'_Do you know that your spirit form will age at the rate of a Shinigami?_'

'No...'

'_Ah. Well, it will. So you don't have to worry about your lifespan being shortened by that ageing._'

'Fine. But please _try_ to tell me stuff like this in the future. I'd rather not have to find out from my enemies. Although, to be fair, I think Yoruichi mentioned something about it in passing. But it must have been one of the times where she wasn't fully dressed, so I wasn't paying all that much attention.'

'**Get back to the fight, Kingy! This shit's boring!**'

"Eh. Something about being in a Reiatsu-rich world." Ichigo shrugged, as he readied the two blades, each held well clear of his body for their expansion. "_Come Forth, and Pierce the Sky, Zangetsu!_"

A flash of blue light covered Ichigo's form, and the two blades changed. Byakuya couldn't quite comprehend what had just happened. Did this Ryoka somehow have... more than one Zanpakuto? This was even more abnormal than Captain Kyoraku and his two sealed blades.

These two, combined with the crimson gauntlets on the orange haired man's forearms, made for an admittedly... intimidating sight. But, even so, the Ryoka boy would have done little more than find out his Shikai's form... forms in the month since Byakuya had cut him down. This fight would still be entirely one sided.

"I suppose I must commend you, Ryoka. The _progress_ you have made in such a short time is truly impressive. Few officers of the Gotei 13 could achieve their Shikai in only a single month. But you are still 100 years to early to see my Bankai!" He sneered at the commoner in front of him. "Now; I will cut you down, before I catch my traitorous Lieutenant and execute him and my _Sister_ by my own hand."

"You are going to kill your sister..." Ichigo repeated, tone dangerously calm. "Is that what you just said? _Complacency _is one thing. To be able to _ignore _her being killed. I was going to put you six feet in the ground for that, anyway, but more because I owe you that much. But to actually _take_ her life?" Ichigo snarled. "For that; I'm going to tear you apart! I'm going to _obliterate _you." The man placed the tips of his blades against each other, and his eyes glowed electric blue as he focused his Reiryoku on the two. They melded together and formed into a, slightly larger, Khyber knife without the gap in the blade like that he had previously held in his right hand. Next, a plain, red hilted, katana appeared in his free, left hand.

"_Ignite, Sear and Incinerate. Rise from the ashes of those felled by your blade. Kikoo!_" The blade shuddered, glowed a brilliant orange, and grew rapidly. It morphed into the familiar, though in a far smaller scale, appearance of the Sokyoku when the execution tool had been sealed. It was a Nagitana with a dark grey, bordering on black, body and a gleaming head. The back of the blade itself was fire red, while the front was a shining silver.

"Hmm." Ichigo extended it, and gave an experimental swing; the air in its trail shimmered with heat, and Ichigo nodded. "Just to let you know, I don't have a lot of experience with Kikoo, so I'm going to give Zangetsu their satisfaction before I give her a turn." He flipped Kikoo over in his hand, and stabbed it into the ground, cutting through the rock like a _hot_ knife through butter. He drew back with the Khyber knife, and it began to glow a bright blue; his Reiatsu gathering inside the blade and condensing.

"Getsuga... Tensho!" A crescent of blue energy flew towards the Kuchiki clan leader, cutting through the ground in its path. The Captain, however, managed to move out of the way before the attack reached him, resulting in the only damage caused being that of a deep trench carved through the spot he had been in only seconds before.

"Getsuga Datsu!" A voice sounded from behind the effeminate captain. He spun in time to see another attack approaching him. This time, however, the arc had broken up; creating a barrage of smaller energy projectiles.

The Captain leapt aside once again, and avoided the vast majority of the fast moving, blue darts. Two of them did, nonetheless, graze his right arm, and Byakuya gave a pained hiss as they gouged a pair of troughs in his flesh.

"Tensho!" He vanished in a flash of Flash Step, as the first attack slammed into the ground from above.

"Datsu!" He vanished again, as a torrent of the smaller attacks passed through his after image.

"Tensho!"

"Datsu!"

'How much Spiritual Pressure does he have?' Ichigo had appeared once more, having had his attacks dodged, and barely seemed to be breathing more heavily than at the beginning of their bout. Byakuya, meanwhile, looked dishevelled. His arm was bleeding noticeably, and the dust brought up from the 'Tenshos' had coated his left side; he had only dodged the second by a narrow margin. The Noble narrowed his eyes at his opponent, frustrated.

"It's no fun if you don't fight back, Byakuya." Ichigo shouldered the Khyber.

"_Scatter, Senbonzakura._" Was the response he received. Ichigo raised an eyebrow as the sword split, becoming a cloud of 1000 smaller blades, looking like rose petals. He wasn't sure what the strength of them would be, but it was easy to find out.

"Getsuga Tensho!" The energy wave roared towards the cloud, in a test, and Byakuya looked shocked. The petals and the Reiatsu collided, and the result was obvious.

Byakuya's blades were scattered by the powerful attack, and Ichigo snorted.

"How's that supposed to beat me? If I can disperse them with a single attack?" Byakuya waved his, now sword-less, hilt, and the thousand tiny blades rocketed towards Ichigo.

"Getsuga Datsu!" Their were significantly less of Ichigo's projectiles, but the number coming at the ornage haired man was significantly decreased. Ichigo vanished in a blur of Shunpo, and appeared behind Byakuya mid-swing. Zangetsu passed through another after-image, and Ichigo scowled; having expected to at least _graze_ the Noble.

He raised his Khyber knife just in time to block a strike from his side, and his eyes met those of Byakuya. The Noble was soon unnerved, though, as Ichigo smirked.

"I think you're forgetting something." The smirk turned into a grin. "Kureata!" He barked, as his left hand, balled into a fist, _crunched _into his opponent's stomach. Blood sprayed from Byakuya's mouth, and he was thrown back in a daze.

"Hmm. You're more resilient than you look. That should have been a _real_ damaging hit." It was true, that attack concentrated all the energy that Ichigo could send in a projectile using Tabigarasu into the gauntlet itself. Although...

'**Hey, King? Why'd you hit him with a punch? Ya should've made the most of the claws, ya dummy.**'

Ichigo had gotten used to avoiding fatal shots with Tabigarasu; mainly in his training with Hat 'n' Sandals. It might be a good thing, since he didn't want this fight to be too short. Else he'd disappoint Kikoo and Nejibana. It was about time for the Kuchiki bastard to use his Bankai, though. After all; Ichigo didn't really know how to hold back with Kikoo yet.

That also explained the need for him to remove the clothing on his upper body, lest he roast himself with the immense heat.

The 6th squad Captain watched, helpless as he staggered to his feet, and saw Ichigo vanish only to appear next to the Nagitana buried in the blackened stone. His large, black blade vanished from his right hand in a burst of blue Reiatsu as his left gripped the shaft of Kikoo. The Human-Shinigami channelled a stream of Reiatsu into the Nagitana, and fire flickered on the base of the blade. It was rather... unspectacular when compared to Ryukin aka. Anyone who had seen the Sokyoku used, or had seen Yamamoto fight with his Shikai, would think the Shikai of Kikoo unimpressive.

Until Ichigo fought, that is.

Ichigo Kurosaki raised the Zanpakuto over his head; loosening the grip he had on the body of it as he spun the spear-like weapon in a smooth circle, getting used to the weight of the Shikai he had yet to actually hold.

The hybrid lowered the Nagitana, and the air around it rippled as he gripped it with his right hand, too. Drawing back, he spun his body; in a similar manner to what Nejibana had trained him in. Using a pole-weapon tended to be more of a gymnast like style than the brutal, harsh movements of the other three Zanpakuto. Of course, it would be difficult to use an ordinary Nagitana when you were trained in the use of a trident; one was a stabbing weapon, the other a cutting, but Nagitana's control of water depended on spinning and slashing her.

"Hono!" A wave of fire rushed towards Byakuya, and the man managed to right himself just in time to dodge in a burst of Shunpo. He appeared, seconds later, a hundred meters to the left. Ichigo appeared next to him a second later, with his pole-weapon raised. "Cha!" The air rippled as Kikoo dropped, and a burst of immense heat came from its head.

Ichigo saw the man appear again, his arm extended and the katana's tip pointed downwards.

"I will admit that I am surprised, Kurosaki. You have progressed _far _further than I thought possible. In fact, I would have shown you this already, had you relaxed the barrage of attacks. _Bankai_." The katana dropped, and sank into the ground, following which countless, giant blades appeared to raise from the ground behind the injured man and _scattered_ like that of his Shikai. Millions of the tiny blades now formed a massive, pink cloud above the pair.

"_Senbonzakura Kageyoshi._"

The pink crashed down on Ichigo, and Byakuya watched calmly as he was, certainly, killed.

"Ahhh. _That_ would have hurt. Cha." _Something_ slammed into the back of the Kuchiki head, and he was thrown forwards with his back feeling as though it was on _fire_. "Y'know... I'm a little annoyed. I _saw_ you when Kikoo came out to play. You underestimated her just 'cause she's not _flashy_. She ain't a _fire_ type of Zanpakuto. Otherwise she'd be a really shit execution method, wouldn't she? Cruel and unusual punishment includes burning them 'til death, after all. No, she controls _heat_. Of course, that includes fire to an extent, since heat can easily turn into fire, but it's the heat that'll kill ya." He smirked. "Well. It's the heat that _would've_ killed ya. If Nejibana didn't want a turn."

Ichigo wanted to try something out anyway. Something that he hadn't had much ability to practise, but that he'd gotten permission to experiment with, since it helped the Human-Shinigami get to know his partners better.

"_Ignite, Sear, and Surge, Boiling Waters and Heaven. Nejibana. Kikoo._" The Nagitana changed quite significantly in the time that it took for Byakuya to turn to face the Ryoka. Its shaft had changed to have blue twists and spirals running up the length, but the more obvious change was the strange trident-Ji that was now on the previously blunt end of the pole and the deep blue, horsehair tassel next to the three-pronged spear.

With a swing, Ichigo sent a torrent of frothing water at his standing, though hunched, opponent. This attack, however, was easy enough for Byakuya to block. His blades formed a wall of petals that the boiling hot water broke against.

Unfortunately, the Shikai produced more and more superheated water with each swing. And Ichigo was perfectly capable of swinging it repeatedly, meaning that Byakuya was forced to maintain this tactic of defence lest some of it get through and worsen his, already nearing broken, body's condition. That resulted in the long haired man missing the fact that Ichigo was approaching the wall of rose petals, drawing nearer to the defender with each wave of water.

As Ichigo reached the wall, he changed tact, channelled his reiatsu into increasing the heat, and gave a larger swing; a large cloud of steam shot forward, passing around the petals, and blinded his opponent. Slipping past the blades, Ichigo blurred forward and appeared in front of Byakuya with his curved blade drawn back to slash across the Kuchiki Noble's torso.

Byakuya, flinching back, managed to avoid too serious a blow, simply a long, thin slash that stung quite distractingly. In response, he raised his hands and the cloud sped towards Ichigo far faster than they had been so far.

"My bankai moves twice as fast when I choose to use my hands to direct the blades." The Captain stated, as Ichigo vanished in a flash of short-range shunpo. On reappearing, he dodged yet another strike, and swung his blade in wild blow, sending a wave of boiling water at the Captain, who now had little in the way of defence.

The attack connected, and Byakuya let out a gasp as the searing pain from his back doubled. This acted as a distraction that Ichigo easily capitalized on as he charged forwards, and stabbed forth with Nejibana's three prongs, the trident piercing Byakuya's right side, and then being pulled harshly back out of the man's torso. Byakuya took an uneven step backwards, then another, and dropped to a knee before struggling back up; only to be sent back to the floor by a fist slamming into his gut; another dribble of blood falling from his mouth.

"Why?" Ichigo questioned. "Help me understand _why_ you were going to kill your _sister_. It makes no sense to me." It really didn't. Ichigo would have died in a second to protect Yuzu or Karin, but this man was perfectly willing to kill Rukia with his own hand...

"The law..." Byakuya began, pushing himself back to his feet, a reformed Senbonzakura now lying a his feet. "Must be upheld above all else. When a criminal's sentence is announced, it must be fulfilled."

"You value _the law_ above the life of your own sister?" Ichigo hissed in response.

"Sympathy to one's relative... how pointless. Fortunately, I have never been burdened with such worthless sentiments. They matter not when compared to the law. The Kuchiki clan is one of the four great noble families. _We _are duty bound to serve as examples to all Soul Reapers; how could we enforce the law if we are not willing, ourselves, to obey them?"

"I don't understand that. In your place I would have torn down the government brick by brick rather than bend to such idiotic rules. I would fight the law and whatever it stood for if that was what it took!" The defeated man's eyes widened as Ichigo turned away with a scowl. "I don't feel any need to kill you any more. I don't like you; I just don't give a damn about your fate. But know this; if you come after Rukia again, I won't hesitate. I'll cut you down."

Ichigo vanished in a flash of Shunpo, and the Captain of Squad 6 fell to the ground, defeated.


	11. Sosuke Aizen

**Sorry about the delay. I was waiting to have all three of my stories ready, but one of the others has given me a case of writers block. That and my holiday.**

**This at least begins to address a couple of complaints about Ichigo having too easy a time.**

**Hope you all enjoy the chapter. I assure you I haven't given up on Savage.**

At the edge of the Sokyoku 'hill', though it was better described as a cliff than a hill, in his opinion, Ichigo Kurosaki stood, shirtless, with a scowl on his face. He really did not understand what was happening at this point. His senses, granted not the most reliable, were telling him something... weird. There were more fighters than would be logical; why the Soul Reapers were fighting each other, Ichigo had no idea. And even more than that...

"No. My senses must be on the fritz. Why on Earth would Renji and Rukia be behind me? They were just on the way to 13th Division's Barracks. I... aught to just head there." He murmured; knowing that the pair had no reason whatsoever to return to the site of Rukia's execution.

Yet he didn't go. Something felt... weird. Off. The best he could pinpoint the feeling was in regards to those other three.

It could be an echo of Rukia and Renji. But them... Three other signatures, ones he didn't know, were there with the two.

He didn't recognise them. So _why _would he be feeling them?

Just then, Ichigo heard something extremely unnerving. A female voice rang through the Seireitei. No, wait. Was it in his head? One that caused 5 blades, of varying sizes, to appear on his left hip as his scowl increased a helluva lot.

"All Captains, Lieutenants and Seated Officers of the Gotei 13, may I please have your attention? Also, the Ryoka. This is Lieutenant Isane Kotetsu, from the Fourth Division with an urgent announcement. Please listen closely, as the message will not be repeated. This is an emergency report from Captain Unohana regarding a traitor in our midsts. As unsettling as the following is, I am about to tell you the truth; Captain Aizen, former Captain of the 5th division, has committed high treason to an extent that has never been seen before. Central 46, the most important aspect of our government, has been slaughtered. Sosuke Aizen was assisted in this heinous crime by Captains Gin and Tosen..."

'… Well... Those _are_ three of the names I was given by Yoruichi.' Ichigo reasoned, since he didn't have much else to say on the subject.

'_But you have to consider, Ichigo, that this could well be a trap. It seems to be designed to get you to head back to the Sokyoku Hill._'

'Yes, but it seems unreasonable for those three to be so readily available, yet not have been here to witness Rukia's execution. I am sure that those who did attend did so because it was mandatory.'

'Rukia's there.' Ichigo stated, cutting off any potential retort from Zangetsu. 'I'm going.'

He rested his hand, which still had blood crusting it, atop the 5 blades that were now attached to the orange man's hip.

"_Savage, born from the chaos of the pierced planets, come forth! Puncture the boundaries between Earth and the realm of Heaven! Flood the heavens with the turmoil of felling fire! Tabigarasu! Zangetsu! Nejibana! Kikoo!_"

-()-()-()-()-

'**Ya've gotta give it to the Pineapple Head, King. He's tougher than I thought; to still be stood. He's lookin' after Rukia pretty well, too. Even if he failed pretty spectacularly in what he was meant to do.**'

'Yep. I agree with that. Impressive. But I guess I should intervene right about now, or the brown haired one with glasses, Aizen I'm guessing, will kill him.'

Not too far from the orange haired man, the three traitorous captains were entirely unaware of their one-man-audience. Ichigo's technique, while ill advised in most circumstances, made him virtually impossible to detect. Especially since Aizen believed him to possess uncontrollable reiatsu; like he would if he only possessed Zangetsu. But he had developed a crude method of Reiatsu manipulation a long while ago now.

"... I won't let him have you, Rukia." Renji growled, as he fought the pain racking his body. "You thought I'd give her up?" The red haired man tilted his head to look back up at Aizen. "Are you that _dumb_?"

"Very well. Too bad." Aizen replied, as he raised his Zanpakuto to cut Renji's arms from his body. Kyoka Suigetsu descended, and passed through... nothing.

The two were gone.

Aizen raised an eyebrow, and turned to the side to find Renji, kneeling still, several metres to the captain's right. Oddly, the Lieutenant had a more confused expression than the Captain he had escaped from.

Though that might be because the cause was now stood in front of Aizen, just a little out of the range of the man's Zanpakuto.

Ichigo stood, relaxed, in his usual attire minus any upper body clothing, except the _remnants_ of his bandages, in front of Aizen with a very much different weapon to what he had been wielding before now.

An obsidian staff, 6 foot long, was resting against Ichigo as he spoke to Renji, flicking his eyes to the pair.

"Are you really that weak Renji? That Rukia's too heavy for you to carry without looking like you've run a fucking marathon? I guess I was right about you needing my help." He turned his focus back to Aizen for a moment.

"Excuse me for just a second... whoever you are." Ichigo vanished, in a flash and the sound of static, before reappearing 3 seconds later in the same position. Though, this time, there were only 4 people on top of the 'hill'.

Ichigo had, combining the speed techniques of both Shinigami and Hollow in Shunpo and Sonido, moved Renji and Rukia as far away as he could in a single 'step'.

"There we go." Ichigo said, as he smirked at the hint of shock on his otherwise unemotive opponent's face. Obviously, Aizen had not expected a combination of the Hollow and Shinigami techniques. "Now; who the hell are you guys?" His eyes flicked from the brown haired, to the teal, and then to the longer darker brown.

"Kurosaki Ichigo... you are much further along than I had predicted you would be." Aizen commented. "In fact, I do believe that it is necessary that I engage you to find out the extent of... this." The traitor twisted his Zanpakuto in his grip and stepped forward quickly, swiping Kyoka Suigetsu across the orange haired human's torso. The staff blocked it, and the resulting _clang_ let Aizen know that it was made of _some kind_ of metal. Not that that made sense; such a staff would, logically, be too heavy to wield efficiently. Obviously though, since Ichigo was wielding it like it weighed nothing at all, that was not true for its wielder.

The brown haired man raised an eyebrow, and raised a single finger from his Zanpakuto.

"Hado #31: Shakkaho." A large ball of red energy slammed into Ichigo's chest, and sent him flying back. The orange haired man recovered mid flight, and Ichigo vanished again and appeared back on the ground, a slight burn on his chest. Ichigo lunged forwards, in a blur, and drew back the staff with both hands gripping one end of the pole. Blue Reiatsu gathered in the black staff.

"Getsuga..." Ichigo swung the staff in an overhead, vertical blow. "Kureata!"

And his target was gone. The end of the staff slowed upon realising this, but still tapped the rocky ground below. It cratered, reaching the feet of Gin and Kaname, and Ichigo dropped a little, since the ground was now significantly lower than it had been before. The Ryoka scowled, and swung his staff once more.

"Gah!" A wave of boiling water roared towards the other two men there, since Ichigo was annoyed with all three. They vanished from its path, and the wave moved by harmlessly. "Tss." He hissed; annoyed even further. It wasn't much fun fighting more than one person at once. Especially when all three were obviously skilled.

The action of taking his eyes from the 3 was unfortunate, however, when he knew nothing about the capabilities of his opponents. A blade skewered him, and blood sprayed.

Ichigo stared down at the vastly extended blade that was sticking through his back and out of his chest. What in Kami's name...

"Sorry, Lord Aizen. I was getting bored." The grinning, teal-haired man said, not sounding guilty whatsoever.

"*Sigh* That's fine, Gin. It would have been the inevitable ending no matter who dealt the blow." The blade retracted, turning back into the short, Japanese sword, and Ichigo dropped to one knee. "I suppose I should put him out of his misery." Aizen walked to the now kneeling man, and prepared to remove the head from his body.

"No..." Ichigo leapt at him, ignoring the blood that trickled from his mouth, and poured from his gut, and swung the staff at the traitor, aiming at Aizen's neck in a vicious strike. It connected, just barely, as Sozuke stepped away quickly. The tip grazed the front of his throat, and the traitorous Captain was shocked to find that it, somehow, drew blood.

"Hmm? How did a blunt weapon draw blood? Especially when wielded by one that I had calculated to be too weak to even draw blood from m-ugh!" The butt of the combined weapon slammed into the man's stomach, and Ichigo gave a grunt of exertion as a blade formed on the end of his staff and stabbed into the man he was against and seemingly outclassed by.

"Batsu... Sur-uh." His attack was interrupted, in a rather effective manner, as Gin's Zanpakuto stabbed through his gut once more, retracted in the blink of an eye, and Ichigo dropped to the ground, very nearly unconscious and bleeding _heavily._ The staff faded away and a single, black hilted and sheathed katana was left in its place.

"Sorry, Aizen-sama. I panicked." Gin said, grin not fading.

"No. No, you were right to intervene. Thank you, Gin." The brown haired man said, with a prominent frown on his usually slightly smug face. "Kaname; please remind me, once we get to Los Noches, that I need to keep an eye on Ichigo Kurosaki."

"Of course, Lord Aizen." The blind man nodded and the two walked off to the side, leaving Gin next to the 'unconscious' Rtoka.

The teal haired man heard an almost silent groan from the grounded figure, and his grin grew.

"Ah, ah, ah, Ichigo. You need to keep quiet and learn what you can 'bout what'll happen next. Ya don't stand a chance against Aizen like you are, after all." He wandered off to join his comrades, and Ichigo couldn't help but agree, largely, with the snake-like man's summary. But he still had a couple of tricks he'd use if he had to in order to save Rukia.

All of a sudden, Ichigo saw that the African-American man had vanished, and now a strange rope-like kido appeared in the spot he had just been standing. As the spell vanished, Ichigo was treated to an unpleasant sight. Renji's body, still alive but barely, dropped like a sack of potatoes and the orange haired man's brown eyes locked on to the violet orbs of Rukia Kuchiki, who gasped.

"Ichigo!" Tosen was replaced by Aizen, and Ichigo snarled as he lifted the girl, with ease, by her collar-thing.

"Oi, Aizen-sama. I think that Ichigo'll fight again if ya're too rough with her. I was under the impression that you'd want 'im alive to see what 'appens next with 'im."

"You're right, Gin. It would be a shame to see such... potential wasted. What do you propose I do?" He asked, diplomatically.

"Eh, I'd say let the girl live. 'S not like her death matters, right?" The brown haired man pondered this for a few seconds.

"Huh. I suppose you are correct, Gin. But I will, in this case, make things more interesting. Tell me, Ryoka, do you know why Kisuke Urahara helped you with this endeavour? Do you know why I am targeting Rukia Kuchiki?"

Ichigo grunted a negative.

"Did you know that there are 4 basic fighting methods of Shinigami? Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hoho and Kido? In those four, there is a limit for each in regards to how strong you can possibly grow. Once a Soul Reaper reaches that limit; he will have mastered it. That will be the end of his growth in that area. Once he reaches mastery in all four? He has reached his limit as a Soul Reaper. I cannot accept that, and so I must go _past_ that limit. To do that, there is only one way. The Soul Reaper has to become something more; a Hollow." Ichigo gave a slight twitch of recognition, and Aizen smiled. "Either that, or a Hollow can become a Soul Reaper. Either way, I must remove the barrier between those two opposing forces. That is the key to making the Spirit's power even greater. I began my research on this subject.

"I focused mainly on turning Hollows into Shinigami. I came close, but never truly succeeded. One such example, I believe you are familiar with, based on the Zanpakuto I saw you wielding earlier. It was able to break Zanpakuto and combine with other Soul Reapers." Two growls came in return, but Aizen ignored their anger. "It was a shame that all I got back was the Hollow's corpse, he was ever so promising after all. But even with that, I was able to find a use. Even with that, it appeared that the theory was destined to be only that. Never a reality. But another succeeded where I had failed. Kisuke Urahara.

"I assume you remember the fact that the Gigai Rukia wore for so long was provided by him, yes? I thought so. He created a device that would turn one to the other, instantly removing the barrier between Hollow and Shinigami. Hogyoku. The man tried to destroy it, knowing it could be extremely dangerous, but he was unable to do so. Instead, he reluctantly turned to another solution. He built a shield around the Hogyoku, and embedded it deep inside a Gigai. Rukia's Gigai. When she entered, the device was transferred into her soul, and became tied to her energy. When hers faded, so would the Hogyoku. And then he set to work on the Gigai. Changing it to sap the Spiritual Pressure instead of restore it was simple for a man such as Urahara. It had to devour the Soul Reaper's energy in order to function; as he built it without Reishi. Eventually, the Shinigami would be reduced to a mere Human, and the Hogyoku would vanish." He turned to the girl in his grip.

"Do you understand? You would have soon lost all of your Shinigami powers, and become that which you masqueraded as. Kisuke Urahara gave you no strength. He used you, Rukia Kuchiki. He effectively turned you human, just so that he could hide his own invention. It is fortunate you were brought to the Soul Society when you were. In a way, you could say that I am saving you. You will be able to recover soon once I remove the Hogyoku from your body, and you will be able to fight as a Soul Reaper once more. Do not worry." He said, in a reassuring tone. "I won't harm you." His hand raised to the inside of his Haori, and...

"AIIIZEEEN!" A... Soul Reaper, for Ichigo wasn't sure he could be called a man, roared as he appeared behind the Traitorous Captain, and a massive blade crashed down on the unsurprised man.

-90-90-90-

"It has been a long time since you have shown your face, Sajin." Aizen commented to the wolf-faced man. "Why the sudden change of heart? Does something ail you?" He put on a faux-concerned tone as he asked the second question.

"Aizen... How dare you stand there, nonchalant like that, Aizen?" Komamura growled at his ex-comrade as the man held his Zanpakuto steady with a single hand. "You have betrayed all of us! You cannot be forgiven!" He turned his focus to the blind Soul Reaper behind Aizen. "Nor will you... Kaname!" The man drew back, and held his blade steady.

"Bankai!" A massive samurai rose above the Captain, as Ichigo watched Aizen walk to stand in front of the Wolf-Man, who didn't react whatsoever, until a look of shock came over his face, and Komamura froze.

"Hado #90: Kurohitsugi." A massive, black box appeared around the massive Captain, and spikes seemingly formed. stabbing into the coffin that now encased Sajin. The tomb vanished, and the, now bloodied, wolf fell to the ground. "Kyoka Suigetsu's hypnosis is flawless. But even if it had a flaw, you would stand no chance against me."

'Woo..." Gin began, with a grin. "Hado #90; that's some scary stuff. Especially without incantation."

"But it is incomplete." Aizen replied. "That was but a third of its destructive power." He walked to Rukia. "Now the, I do need to finish this rather quickly." The man drew an odd-looking green tube from his pocket. "This is another of Urahara's inventions. It makes sense; he is the master of storing things in souls, after all." Ichigo didn't see what Aizen did, but a cloud of smoke rose from the object, and wrapped around the man's arm. When it dissipated, the skin was covered by dark green scales, and Aizen looked at it with a look of slight interest. "Hmm. Well, Rukia, I would recommend holding still. I wouldn't want to make a mistake."

Aizen's hand thrust forwards, passing through Rukia's torso before it was quickly pulled back out. A hole, caused by the hand, instantaneously closed, and Aizen nodded, expecting as much.

"How fascinating... I didn't expect it to be so small." He looked at something in his hand, and continued. "The Hogyoku." He looked on the kneeling girl with what seemed to be a sad frown. "I am sorry, but as I was doing that... something occurred to me. I need young Kurosaki to visit revenge on me. If it is only a matter of his own health... I cannot be sure." He spoke softly to her, and turned to face Ichigo.

"Bakudo #30: Shitotsu Sansen!" A triangle of light pinned Ichigo to the ground, as Aizen continued. "Relieve Rukia of one of her limbs, Gin."

"If I must." The man continued to grin, and raised his sword. "_Shoot to kill, Shinso!_" The blade extended in the blink of an eye, as Ichigo gave a yell of shock and anger; his struggle to escape the Bakudo confines only leading to blood rushing from his gut, and _shot_ at Rukia, aiming to maim the short Soul Reaper. With a gasp, the blade hit, and stabbed into the body of a Shinigami, but an instant later everybody saw that it was not the one the snake had intended.

"Onii-sama... No..." Rukia gasped, as she saw her rescuer.

'**Heh. I guess he's got some good in 'im after all.**' Hichigo, along with his fellow spirits, was glad that the Reaper-girl wasn't hurt. Ichigo would shoulder the blame himself if she had indeed lost a limb. That _began_ to redeem Byakuya in their King's eyes.

Aizen watched with a mild expression of shock, until his attention was drawn upwards by a strangely shaped shadow rapidly growing larger.

"_Sprinkled on the bones of the beast! Sharp tower, red crystal, steel ring. Move and become the wind, stop and become the calm. The sound of warring spears fills the empty castle! Hado #62 Raikoho!_" Ichigo's mouth twisted into a, slightly pained, grin. He would have recognised that voice anywhere. Unfortunately, he was a little preoccupied at that moment, and so their reunion would have to wait.

"Don't move, Aizen." Another familiar tone came from where Aizen appeared to avoid the colossal yellow blast, and Ichigo saw a dark-skinned, purple haired woman and a smaller, black haired and light skinned Soul Reaper both positioned to attack Aizen. One with a drawn back foot and leg, the other with a small-ish Zanpakuto placed against his throat.

"Or we're going to cut off your head." Soi Fon finished Yoruichi's statement, pressing Suzembachi against the traitor's throat for emphasis.

"Yes, I can see that." Aizen said in response, still wholly calm.

"Kukaku!" Yoruichi called, with a grin. "Good to see you got my message."

"That's right! Now. where's this Ichigo-guy you were bragging about?" Wait, Ichigo saw her at an angle. Had she... lost an arm? No. No way.

"Bragging? I wouldn't call it bragging, I just thought you two aught to meet."

"It sounded a lot like braggin' to me."

"Lady Yoruichi; do you not think there could be a better time for you to have this conversation?"

"Yeah, I guess so, Little Bee."

"Wow. That was flashy." Gin grinned. "Now what should I do?"

"You shouldn't even move." The Lieutenant of Squad 10 hissed, appearing behind the teal-man and placed her blade under his chin.

"Sorry, Captain Aizen. It looks like I got _caught_." At the same time, a different Lieutenant, who Ichigo didn't know, appeared behind Tosen, and had him in a similar position.

"You're done, Aizen." Yoruichi growled.

"Hmm? Did you say something?"

"You're caught. There's no where left for you to run." More appeared, including the 'big three' captains, gathered around Aizen's still form. "It's over, Aizen." The 'trapped' man chuckled. "What's so funny?"

"I am sorry to have to do this, but the time has come for us to leave." Yoruichi's eyes widened as she sensed... something.

"Soi Fon, move!" The two vanished in flashes of Shunpo, as a yellow light enveloped Aizen. Above the battlefield, a tear opened in the sky, showing dozens of giant Hollow masks. Three Menos Grande looked down, and a golden light shot down at each of the traitorous captains, forming a tube, of sorts, around the three.

"No way..." The fat man that Ichigo had defeated twice now mumbled.

"How many are there?" A sunglasses wearing Reaper uttered.

"What is that?" The man that had been holding Tosen asked, spying what looked to be a purple, closed eye.

The three captains were very effectively cut off from the others present, but Gin had to make one last comment to his ex-captor.

"Well, that's a shame. I was having fun being your captive. So long, Rangiku." He said, not turning to look at the girl as he did so. A chunk of rock beneath each of the traitors rose, carrying them upwards towards the tear in the sky.

"You're just going to run away?! That's it?!" The Lieutenant of the still downed wolf-captain exclaimed as he drew his Zanpakuto.

"Don't!" The oldest being present barked. "That light is from the Negacion. It is a technique used by Hollows rescue their comrades from any situations they cannot win. It is impenetrable, and any attempt will backfire spectacularly on the one that tries. As soon as they were surrounded by that light, it became impossible for us to reach them." The end of his teaching was punctuated by a _thump_ as Komamura, now kneeling, slammed his fist into the ground with frustration.

"Kaname! Get back here, Kaname! Have you forgotten?! You once told me _why_ you became a Soul Reaper! Was it not for the sake of your friend? The one who died! To carry out your justice? Where is your sense of justice now?! Because I cannot see it!"

"My eyes can only see one path. That path is the one with the least bloodshed. My path _is_ justice." Their conversation ended there, as Ukitake stepped forwards, and spoke to the ringleader.

"You have joined with the Menos? Why?"

"I must continue to improve. To evolve. This is the only way that I can."

"You cannot have become that... insane, can you?"

"You are blinded by your self-righteousness. Since the beginning, nobody has truly stood at the top. Not you. Not me. Not even the _gods_. Soon, though," He removed his glasses, and swept his hair back in a sleek style. "That vacancy will be filled. From now on, I will climb higher than any before me. I will stand at the top." He looked down at them, his eyes resting specifically on Ichigo. "Goodbye, Soul Reapers. And goodbye... Ryoka boy. Even I must admit that, for a human, you are rather _fascinating_." The three vanished through the hole.

"Now that that arrogant Bastard is gone, is somebody going to get this blasted thing off me?!" Ichigo exclaimed, growing more and more annoyed with being pinned to the ground and wanting, very much, to be free again.


	12. A Meeting of the Captains

**Hello, all. Here's another chapter of Savage.**

**I own ****_very_**** little of this, and make no profit from writing this.**

**Please Follow/Favourite/Review**

**I hope you enjoy Savage!**

In the aftermath of the traitors' flight, 4th Division was working overtime.

"I'm alright." Sajin Komamura assured the healers fussing over him; his pride was, by far, the most serious injury he had. "Take care of the others."

"Sir? Where should we start?" Two new arrivals, Greenhorns of Squad 4, asked the seated officer in charge of giving assignments on the Sokyoku hill.

"I want you to heal that Ryoka. If you are unable, come and find me and I will assign some of the senior healers to assist you."

"But sir..."

"You have been made aware of the situation, haven't you? He, apparently, is the one that came closest to stopping the traitors! We owe this much, at least, to him; obviously he is not our enemy." As the two ran off in search, the man spotted a sight for sore eyes. "Excellent!" He ran to great his captain, who was arriving on her manta-ray like Shikai.

"Captain Unohana, I am glad to see you. What is the status of Captain Hitsugaya and Lieutenant Hinamori?"

"They have escaped Death's door. From here on out, they just need time to recover. What is the situation here?"

"The most gravely injured appears to be Captain Kuchiki, Ma'am. The Ryoka was seriously wounded, too, but we cannot seem to find hi-" He was cut off by an annoyed yell.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?! I wake up and find you two rubbing _stuff_ on me?! Who are you?!" A pair of panicked yells came in response to the angered voice, and dust was kicked up in the distance as the Greenhorns ran to find sanctuary with their kind captain. They arrived, and hid behind the calm-faced woman as an orange-haired man appeared in front of her in a blur.

"Oi! I asked you a question! You better have a good reason for rubbing shit on me while I was sleeping!' His hand rested on Nejibana; visible because he would soon enough be meeting people that would know her far better than any of the other three, sealed form as he glared threateningly at the cowering Shinigami.

"I believe, Kurosaki-san, that they though you unconscious from your injuries." Unohana responded for her subordinates, with a small smile. Ichigo, surprisingly, did not notice the sinister glint in her eyes, preoccupied as he was.

"Eh? You see any injuries?" Ichigo gestured at his bare torso, and the captain was surprised at what she found. Granted, the burned away clothing showed clearly that the man had recently been in a fight, but there was _no_ evidence of any wound. Well, that wasn't quite true. There was a pair of inch long, pink scars; each indicating one of the serious injuries, yet those signs were very minor, considering Retsu had been informed that Ichigo Kurosaki had been _run through_ by Gin and his Shinso.

How could that be possible?

The Captain would have asked had her, currently sporting a bloated sense of self worth, subordinate not interrupted the beginning conversation.

"Hey! Who do you think you are?! Talking to Unohana-taicho like that?!" The seated officer barked at the man he had, just moments ago, defended. He did, at least, have the intelligence to give a scared whimper as Ichigo laid a hand on Nejibana's hilt and turned his glare onto the man that had now taken a place further towards the top of the Ryoka's shit list. Fortunately, Ichigo then processed _what_ had been so rudely shouted at him.

"Hmm? You're Captain Unohana?" He asked, turning a far more pleasant expression to the softly smiling woman.

"Yes, that is me."

"Ah. Sorry, Ma'am. I didn't realise it was you. I apologize for my actions towards your subordinates, I had yet to come down from the high I get in combat. It tends to render me much... ruder, than I would normally act." He explained, with a sheepish expression.

"No apologies are necessary, Kurosaki-san. I am sure that that would have been a very shocking manner in which to wake up. And I assure you that I have seen people far more brass than you even on your worst day. I do regularly have to deal with Captain-Zaraki and his squad, after all." The captain smiled kindly, finding slight humour in the comparison.

"Still, I feel bad. I will do my best not to let it happen again." He bowed his head in apology before looking up with interest. "Say... Do you know where Captain Ukitake is?"

"Hmm?" Retsu was slightly confused as to what the man would want with her friend, but knew that Jushiro had been wanting to talk to Ichigo himself, once the invader woke. "I believe that he and Captain Kyoraku headed to First Dividision with Captain-Commander Yamamoto. They did make a request of me, via Hell-Butterfly, to inform you, once you resurfaced, that they would like you to head over in that direction to familiarise yourself with the area. You're going to need to attend a Captain's meeting, I'm afraid."

"Joy." From what Ichigo knew, based on Yoruichi's stories, those sessions were tedious, to say the least. "That way?" He asked, pointing.

"That's right." Retsu nodded, with a yet another kind smile.

"Arigato." Ichigo dipped his head once again and vanished in a blur of Flash Step.

-()-()-()-

4 hours later, after losing his way Kami knows how many times, Ichigo knew exactly why he had been told to come here so much earlier than he had thought necessary. He was stood in the Captains' Hall in the First Division barracks, as the Haori-wearing Shinigami were in two lines, odd facing even. They seemed to be waiting for the Head-Captain to show up, and Ichigo was just hoping that he was doing the right thing by standing at the back of the room, since nobody had told him where else he was supposed to wait.

'**Boooooooored!**' His Hollow whined, as... well, as nothing happened. While Ichigo, and the other spirits residing inside his mindscape, had plenty of patience, his Hollow was lacking in this aspect. '**Hey, see if the bell-guy wants to have another fight!**' The violent spirit suggested.

'_That would be the worst thing Ichicgo could do. We need to make an effort to repair the damage of our first impression; most of these Soul Reapers will be far from fond of us._' The old man interjected, his tone reflecting the endless patience _he_ possessed.

'Agreed.' Nejibana contributed, knowing that the calm headed Zangetsu's idea was far superior. It wouldn't do to anger the Soul Reapers further; they were guests in the Seiretei, after all.

Any further debate was prevented as Ichigo's attention was grabbed by a strange, clunking boom approaching from outside the meeting hall. It sounded... like a cane? Or, at least, a cane amplified to an unreasonable volume. His guess was proven correct soon enough, as the Captain-Commander strode in to the room.

For some reason, the old man had donned his _disguise_ once again; pretending to be as frail as a human of his appearance. Ichigo assumed this was a tactic that came in handy, as any enemies of the Soul Society would dismiss the head captain as a non-threat. Effective.

Idly, Ichigo wondered whether Yamamoto had reached the stage Aizen had been speaking of; the mastery of all 4 fighting styles. Not that the Hybrid-Shinigami ever expected to find out; the Old Man hadn't fought anywhere near him, and was unlikely to do so in the future. From what the Human-Shinigami knew, the oldest Soul Reaper very rarely participated in combat.

Regardless of that, the oldest Shinigami commanded respect as he strode down the aisle created by his subordinates. The thrum of power that accompanied each _thud_ of his sealed Zanpakuto striking the ground was impressive, if unnecessary. The Reaper, walking at a slow pace, reached his seat; the only one in the hall, and each captain, along with their Lieutenants, turned their attention to the old man.

"The matter at hand is of vital importance!" The Shinigami boomed, to make sure he had their undivided attention, before continuing his speech. "The discovery of a traitor in our midst would be no matter what, but for three captains to be working hand in hand with _Hollows_ has previously been unthinkable!"

'**I** **resent that!**' Hollow Zangetsu announced. '**There's nothing wrong with Hollows! Look at me; I'm fine!**'

'Other than being sadistic, psychotic and having no morals, you mean?'

'**Exactly!**'

"In light of this, I have approached many of you in the short time since Sosuke Aize, Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tosen revealed themselves. Quick, decisive action is vital in this trying time, but we must remain united! Without Central 46, this council is the highest authority in the Sereitei, and so we are all expected to contribute to the path we must take!" That was all well and good, but why was Ichigo here?

"Of course, we will be increasing the intensity of training, for each and every Shinigami, to allow them the best chance to survive the upcoming war. This means that your suggestion, Soi Fon-Taicho, is to be fulfilled. You have permission to oversee your own squad members' training, though I hope you refrain from overworking Division 4 too frequently. The same is true for you, Captain Zaraki." Soi Fon maintained her determined expression, while Zaraki gained a bloodthirsty grin; one that was even more extreme than his typical shark's smile.

"I'm afraid that there is little we can do for Fourth Division other than this; I ask any of you who have members you believe would be better suited in Unohana-Taicho's division than your own, please do not hesitate to reassign them. We have not the time to waste on training our unranked members in combat if they appear to be a lost cause." The kind faced, intimidating captain nodded solemnly; there was little else that could be done to decrease the workload the average healer would have to shoulder. Seeing this, Yamamoto continued.

"Captain Kuchiki," Genryusai continued. "I assure you that the treasonous behaviour of the now ex-Captains will be punished appropriately. I am unsure whether you meant only Captains Aizen, Ichimaru and Tosen, but the actions of Kuchiki Rukia, Ichigo Kurosaki and their accomplices require further examination. I, personally, am under the impression that their actions were justified due to the positive effect provided to the Soul Society, but I would like to hear opinions in the matter later in this meeting.

"Likewise, I assure you, Captain Kommamura, that those who have betrayed us will be dealt with properly once the opportunity presents itself.

"I agree that, if they are willing, having Senior Captain train lower ranked officers would be beneficial. I fail, however, to see the logic in you only training females, Kyoraku-Taicho." The pink-wearing captain pouted, before flinching under the gaze of his Lieutenant.

"The sudden absence of captains is another issue I intend to seek council on from the gathered captains at a later date, Hitsugaya-Taicho.

"Captain Kurotsuchi; I am afraid I cannot condone experimenting on Ichigo Kurosaki at this time. It is doubtful that you can replicate his ability to wield multiple Zanpakuto, as it has previously been theorised impossible." The clown-faced captain scowled, and shot a... hungry look at Ichigo. That was... disconcerting. Behind him, his daughter-Lieutenant maintained her robotic expression.

"And, Captain Ukitake, I agree that it is logical to send scouts, in the form of ranked members, to the academy to search for potential early-graduates. This will help us in a war-time scenario, I am sure most of you will agree." The white haired captain appeared content with this outcome.

"Are there any objections?"

"YES!" A certain, extremely creepy captain exclaimed.

"On what grounds?"

"Kurosaki will _best serve_ the Soul Society in my lab!"

"Do any agree?" No hands raised. "Then the notion is dismissed."

None of the other Captains felt the need to raise issues, as they were all certain the Sou-Taicho had given this plenty of thought, and most of the suggestions were beneficial to them, as well as the captain that had suggested it.

'_This does not explain why we are here._' Old Man Zangetsu pointed out to his wielder.

"Yamamoto... Sama?" Ichigo asked, remembering to use the honorifics he so often didn't bother with.

"Yes, Ichigo Kurosaki?" The Old Soul Reaper responded.

"This is all well and good, but why am _I_ here?" He glanced around at the rest of the other occupants. "From what I understand, only captains and their second in command are allowed in these... meetings."

"You are right, but I believe that, since we need to settle on what needs to be done with you, it was best for you to simply sit in on our discussion. As no objections were raised, there was no need to remove you." To the room as a whole, Genryusai continued. "What suggestions do we have on how to deal with Kurosaki-Ichigo?" The makeup-wearing captain opened his mouth. "Other than experimenting on him!"

"I'll fight him!" Zaraki suggested, enthusiastically.

'**Good idea!**' Hichigo agreed.

"Does anyone agree with this course of action for Kurosaki-Ichigo?" The Captain-Commander asked wearily. Nobody did.

"Hold on, Sou-Taicho" Ukitake interjected, a thought occurring to him. "Are you only asking in regards to _punishment_, or is the matter of whether he deserves to be punished still up for debate?"

"A good point, Ukitake-Taicho." The oldest occupant nodded. "Who believes that Kurosaki Ichigo deserves to be shown leniency for the beneficial consequences his actions have had for our society? By a show of hands."

As was customary, Yamamoto would not vote unless there was a need for a tie-break.

The others present were rather surprised to see Soi Fon raise her hand; not knowing that she and the Ryoka were, at the very least, not on bad terms. The strict captain would usually have been one of those firmly in the _punishment_ camp. Her Lieutenant, barely managing to stand on his own, looked as though he felt _betrayed_ by his Captain at that moment.

Unohana, likewise, raised her hand. She did not think that Ichigo deserved any real punishment for rescuing one of his friends from such a horrid fate. Particularly since most of the captains had made reached the conclusion that Aizen was behind Rukia's 'crimes'.

Byakuya did not raise his hand. Not altogether surprisingly, he believed that, since Ichigo broke the rules, the Human-turned-Shinigami deserved some form of punishment, even if that suggested by the least sane of their number was not what he had in mind.

Kommamura raised his hand for the reason that he blamed Kaname for whatever wrongs Ichigo was forced to commit.

Shunsui was lenient, anyway, and so did not wish to see Ichigo punished unnecessarily.

Toshiro was conflicted on the matter but, eventually, chose to stay as he was; the invader's actions, though justified, had done serious damage to his division's compound and hurt a couple of his subordinates. It wouldn't do to be _overly_ forgiving.

As Ichigo watched the small, white haired captain contemplate what he aught to do, it became apparent that it was miraculous the prodigy was _standing_, let alone present. He was pale from blood loss, or Reiryoku depletion, and a good portion of Hitsugaya was wrapped in bandages.

Zaraki was still hoping Ichigo would have to fight him for punishment, and so did not raise his hand.

Kurotsuchi, likewise, was hoping for the Ryoka's punishment to be beneficial to him and his research.

Finally, and showing that Ichigo's actions were appreciated, Ukitake raised his hand rather quickly. The sickly Taicho was grateful that Ichigo had helped save Rukia, and saw no reason to punish him for doing what was right. That made it 5-4 in favour of leniency, and Ichigo was glad. It would've been unfortunate if he had to leg it out of the Soul Society, just like he did coming in.

"Very well!" The Head Captain boomed once again. "Kurosaki Ichigo is to be pardoned for his crimes as they were in the interest of the greater good!"The old man announced, before his tone became _slightly_ less formal. "And, if we are not to punish you, Ichigo Kurosaki, how do you believe we should proceed?"

"Me? Why're you asking me? Shouldn't that be up to you?" Ichigo suggested, none too subtly, with surprise obvious in his tone.

"Yes, the final say will stay with we Captains, but first we need to be aware of what you intend to do next." The Sou-Taicho replied.

"Oh... Well, I'm going back to the living world. My friends and family are there, after all."

"Hmm..." The Head Captain, and the others, fell silent as the senior most of their number pondered this. "And do you intend to return to the Soul Society? More specifically; can we count on you as an ally?"

"You mean against the traitor-guys?" Yamamoto nodded. "Sure. I'm still a human, and everything, but I'm involved in this fight now; whether I like it or not. And I'm sure as hell not siding with that arrogant bastard."

"Okay, then why are you choosing not to remain in the Soul Society? In this environment, you are certain to grow stronger." Why was the old man arguing this point? It seemed... strange to Ichigo.

"Well, yeah, but I'd have to give up my life in the Living World, right?"

"Most likely parts of it would no longer be available to you, yes." The Sou-Taicho admitted.

"Then I'm not going to do that. No offense to you all, but the only person living here that I have an actual bond with is Rukia and... well, she doesn't seem to be treated well around these parts, does she? In the Human World, I've got plenty of friends and, more importantly, my family, namely my sisters, are there. I ain't going to tell them that I'm suddenly abandoning them." Ichigo stated, firmly. He meant no disrespect, but it was true he had ties to the living world. For his sisters to lose a brother, while they still mourned their mother, would be horrible.

Even if he was kind of dreading his return, and the reunion with his unhappy friends.

Before the Head Captain could speak again, one of his most trusted fellows spoke up.

"If I might suggest something," Retsu Unohana said, in a calm tone; continuing as she got permission from her elder in the form of a nod. "I believe that Ichigo would still like to grow stronger, but, as a human, he has other commitments. Perhaps he could return on certain days; such as the weekends, and train then. It would be a healthy compromise, would it not?"

"I can do that," Ichigo nodded. He _did_ want to grow stronger after all, but that should give him freedom to train... _other_ parts of his power. Most of which would be ill advised near Soul Reapers.

The Captain Commander simply nodded his agreement, but the three captains, and one Lieutenant, that knew him best sensed he was irritated about... something. Unfortunately, none of the four were sure _what_.

-()-()-()-

After the meeting, which consisted of some more technical talk, about how the squads would arrange their duties in the war time, that Ichigo didn't pay attention to, the Human-Soul Reaper was stood outside the meeting hall. Other than Zaraki, who, _shockingly_, challenged him to a fight, and Soi Fon who gave him a strange, strained smile; one that seemed characteristic of someone who had long forgotten how to use the necessary muscles, none of the captains had said goodbye. The Lieutenants, likewise, had all vanished as a unit. Ichigo assumed they had another meeting, or had to deliver news of this one to their Division members.

The lack of communication wasn't surprising, however, since the Taicho Ichigo was waiting to speak to had, along with Unohana and Kyoraku, hung back to ask the Captain-Commander about something. As the door swung open again, Ichigo started, and turned to face the emerging Shinigami.

Retsu didn't blink upon seeing Ichigo, but instead smiled at him before vanishing in a burst of Shunpo; off to take care of something at her Division. Evidently Yamamoto had stayed in the hall, or possibly exited elsewhere as this _was_ his Division, since he was not accompanying his three apprentices out of the room.

"Ah, Ichigo!" The easy-going Captain of Squad 8 exclaimed, with a grin, as he and his best friend caught sight of the Human-Shinigami. Shunsui felt the need to do this as Jushiro had stumbled slightly, not for the first time, upon seeing the katana resting on the 'Ryoka's' hip. "It's good to see you again!" The kimono-wearing captain called to the younger man.

"Uh... You mean since 10 minutes ago?" It was an overly enthusiastic reaction, from Ichigo's point of view, but the captain seemed the type to get excited easily.

"Of course!" The man grinned, before looking around the area. The subsequent frown surprised Ichigo, and he tensed up, expecting something serious as Shunsui continued. "Hey, have you seen my Nanao-Chan?" Though he may have been wrong...

"I'm not sure who that is..." Ichigo dead-panned, forming an opinion of this man based on the information he'd gleaned from Nejibana, the suggestion he had made to the Head Captain, and this brief conversation.

Let's just say Ichigo was very glad he was male. He imagined that, for those of the fairer sex, this man may be very... irritating.

"Oh! She's my adorable Lieutenant!" Yep, Ichigo was right. "About yay high; always looking stern; brown hair that, no matter how much I plead with her, she never lets flow free; oval glasses, and usually a big, big book!" He smiled brightly at being afforded the opportunity to describe her in such detail without the risk of being whacked for doing so.

"Oh, right," Ichigo nodded, with only a fraction of his discomfort showing. "She, ah, went with the rest of the Lieutenants. I'm not sure where..."

"Okay, thanks! She must be at one of their meetings; that explains why she would leave me behind." Adjusting his straw hat, Kyoraku nodded to the two as a goodbye, and vanished in an impressive show of Shunpo.

"Forgive Shunsui; he has a tenancy to get... over-enthused when discussing females. Or alcohol. Or parties..." Jushiro commented, amused at his old friend's actions.

"I noticed." Ichigo smirked, before realising his mistake. "Ah, I'm sorry, Captain Ukitake, I forgot my manners-"

"There's no need to apologise, Kurosaki-san. If I am correct in my assumption, we are already well acquainted." Ichigo's hand came to rest on Nejibana's Pommel, and Ukitake continued with hope he _was_ correct. "I have to ask; are you Kaien?"

"_That_ is... a difficult question." Ichigo rubbed the back of his neck, unsure of how to respond. "Is it okay if we go and sit somewhere? I need a moment to get the facts clear, myself, enough to tell them, and I know that it's best for you to avoid standing for too long."

"Of course, of course," Joshiro nodded. "But, if we are doing that, would you not rather wait for everyone to be able to hear it at once? Or, at the very least, want to tell Kukkaku and Ganju first?"

"Oh, sorry," Ichigo apologised. "I meant to sit at the Shiba house. I'm pretty sure that they're waiting for me, since Yoruichi had to drag Kukkaku off to stop her from confronting me on my 'deathbed'. If you know where to find Rukia, it might be best to pick her up on the way, too." The girl hadn't had time to process the Ichigo-Kaien situation during the chaos, but would definitely want to know.

"A good idea," Ukitake nodded. "So; to the Shiba household, via 4th division?" That was where Rukia was currently being checked over.

"Hai; that sounds right to me."

-()-()-()-()-

**Well, that seemed like the best place to end the chapter.**

**I appreciate reviews! (Hint, hint)**

**I hope to see you next time!**

**Ah! One more thing! Any suggestions regarding pairings is appreciated! I've constantly forgotten to mention that here!**


	13. Third Times the Charm?

**Here's another chapter of Savage. I hope you all enjoy it, and let me know.**

**One thing; should I include any of the Filler Arcs? Or just make a 'training arc' before Ichigo goes to Hueco Mundo?**

**I own nothing.**

**-()-()-()-**

As Ichigo and Jushiro began their journey, at a slow pace to accommodate the latter's illness, two women were sat at a table, arguing heatedly. Kukaku Shiba's bad mood was best shown by her younger brother's current state; slumped against the far wall with canaries flapping madly around his head.

"What the hell was that about, Yoruichi?!" Her main punching bag out of commission, Kukaku turned her ire on the were-cat sat across from her. This was, in fact, more appropriate since Ganju had done nothing to deserve such a beating. "Why would you drag me away from Kaien like that?!" The dark skinned woman she was berating stayed calm in the face of her friend's anger, and responded as such.

"He needed time to recover, Kukaku. And we both know that you 'conversing' with him would have led to you punching _Ichigo_ in the face for not visiting earlier in his trip." The black haired girl growled slightly at the use of the orange haired Soul Reaper's name. "That is his name, Kukaku. I already told you, he's not Kaien."

"I didn't think he _was_ Kaien! But he's the reincarnation or _something_! Look at his sword!" She rememebred the sight of Nejibana from the days Kaien would happily regale his siblings with stories of his Shinigami adventures. That blade _was_ Nejibana, and Yoruichi couldn't convince her otherwise.

"I've said this a hundred times now, Kukaku; Ichigo has more than one Zanpakuto. We don't know what his having Nejibana means." As her friend tried to interrupt once again, Yoruichi quickly continued. "I've met two of his other spirits; I know what I'm talking about."

"But you _think_ he's connected to us somehow, right?" Ah, and there was the problem. Yoruichi was well aware of how the two were connected, but would it be a breach of trust to tell her? It certainly would be if Ichigo ended up finding out; who knows what her... pupil's reaction would be to the secrecy. The purple haired woman sighed, before responding.

"Kukaku, I have something to tell you, but you have to _promise_ me you won't tell Ichigo, since it's not _exactly_ my secret to tell..."

-()-()-()-

"Will you stop glaring at me, midget?!" Ichigo exclaimed, as he lost patience with the expression Rukia had turned on him. She was _unhappy_ with Ichigo and his 'secrecy'. Never mind that Ichigo hadn't been aware of Nejibana for the time he and Rukia had been companions, nor had she told him about Kaien.

"Why would I, Strawberry-Baka?!" Rukia retorted. "You lied to me!" The girl had thought she and the substitute were closer than that.

"How did I lie?! I didn't know about _any_ of my Zanpakuto before your brother stabbed me; they blocked my memory of them!" Ichigo wasn't thrilled that he'd lacked that communication, either, since it felt so _weird_, in retrospect, to be without his spirits. "Besides, I've told you now, haven't I?!"

"Too late! Besides, I'm certain that you only came to pick me up because Ukitake-Taicho suggested it." Finally feeling, at least vaguely, that he was part of this conversation, the white haired captain attempted to defend Ichigo.

"Actually, Rukia-"

"I suggested it, midget!" Ichigo's manners suffered when his temper was frayed and, so , he didn't take the fact he had interrupted the Captain in to consideration. Rukia did.

"Baka! Don't interrupt Ukitake-Taicho! It's rude!" She berated her friend, who scowled and opened his mouth to yell back, before catching himself. In this, at least, Rukia was right.

"Apologies, Ukitake-Taicho, I forgot myself in the heat of the moment."

"It's no problem, Kurosaki-san. I completely understand." The man's tone was truthful, and held a hint of relief, as he noted that, between the angered silence and the two younger Soul-Reapers' argument, they had now reached their destination; through the trees of this particular forest, Jushiro could see the hint of a building. "Oh, and I believe we have arrived, Kurosaki-san."

"Ah. yes we have. And please call me Ichigo, Ukitake-Taicho." He disliked formailty.

"Okay, and please feel free to address me in the same way."

"Nah. You're still a captain." Ichigo pointed out, just before he froze, and a hand came up to his forehead.

"_This_ is why you shouldn't let Kukaku decorate," The Human-Shinigami groaned. While he did not, _exactly_, have the memories to support it, Ichigo knew well that Kukaku had a rather... unique sense of décor. The two arms that were, for some reason, holding a Shiba banner above the squat building showed this rather well.

Shaking off the surprise as the sight of such a different Shiba residence, Ichigo strode towards the door once more; the other two following slightly behind.

It's safe to say that Ichigo did not expect the greeting he would receive.

-()-()-()-

"Lady Kukaku! Soul Reapers approach!" The twin retainers of the Kukaku household announced from their place in the entranceway.

Kukaku, followed closely by her old friend, attempted to walked at a sedate pace to meet the Soul Reapers that, hopefully, included her reincarnated brother. A mantra was running through her mind as she did.

'He is not Kaien. Ichigo Kurosaki is not the same as Kaien Shiba. Kaien is dead; it dose not matter that Ichigo has Nejibana. He is not Kaien. Ichigo Kurosaki is not the same as Kaien Shiba. Kaien is dead...'

As the door swung open, her inner monologue's volume rose to shouting; she needed to remember that Ichigo was _not_ her dead brother. Ichigo was _not_ Kaien; Yoruichi was certain of that.

But that was before she was confronted with the carbon copy, if you ignore the orange hair and brown eyes, of her deceased brother. Remaining cold was far easier said than done...

"Oniichan!" The dark haired woman flung herself at a shocked Ichigo, and her arms locked around his neck. "I knew it!" The human-Shinigami's mind went blank at this turn of events, and he stumbled back a step or two; not expecting the sudden impact of the Shiba head's enthusiastic greeting.

"No! He's not your brother; he's Ichigo! Ichigo Kurosaki!" Yoruichi corrected her old friend, as she grabbed the prosthetic arm of Kukaku and began her attempt to pull the black-haired soul off Ichigo.

"Let go of me, Yoruichi!" Kukaku tightened her grip on the man she viewed as Kaien; not noticing the fact that, by doing this, she cut off his airflow. This brought Ichigo back to the present, however, and he raised a hand to Kukaku's left arm, briefly struggling to aid Yoruichi in pulling the woman off him before settling for tapping his submission.

"You're choking him, Kukaku!" Yoruichi exclaimed, as she gave a last, mighty yank. Noticing that this was true, Kukaku let go with a hasty apology, just as her friend pulled. The two, unsurprisingly, went crashing to the ground; rolling over each other for several metres.

Ichigo, meanwhile, attempted to steady himself, despite the lack of oxygen, by grabbing the nearest available handhold.

Unfortunately, Ukitake was not ideal for this purpose.

"Bahaha! Ha!" Rukia burst out laughing, as she watched all four of the others tumble to the ground. Quickly catching herself, the diminutive Soul-Reaper rushed to the side of the only person she was concerned for. "Are you okay, Ukitake-taicho?!"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine Rukia. Thank you for your concern; I was simply unprepared." The man said, with a smile, as he slowly stood.

"Ahh!" Ichigo exclaimed, as he took a deep breath. "I'm sorry about that, Taich-urg!" An angry Rukia Kuchiki slammed her foot down on Ichigo's upper back.

"Ichigo! What is wrong with you?!" She yelled. "You know Ukitake-taicho is ill!"

"Rukia, there's really no need to-" Ukitake tried to assure the Kuchiki girl.

"Apologise!" Rukia ordered, digging her foot further into the tissue. "Now!"

"I already did you brat!" Ichigo barked back in response, shaking the girl off and puching himself back to his feet. "What did you think "I'm sorry taicho" meant?!"

Five minutes later, the group had recovered from their fall, and made it in to the, for lack of a better word, sitting room. Apparently. Sofas were not very popular in the Soul Society; instead each of them had a comfortable cushion to sit upon. It was amusing, to Ichigo, to observe the differences in each person's posture. Rukia, for example, was far more formal in the presence of her captain than Ichigo had ever seen her be in the Living world; Yoruichi was obviously relaxed, but not so much as Kukaku, who had her legs spread in a very unladylike manner; demonstrated by the slight reddening of both Ichigo and Ukitake. Even more bothersome, to Ichigo, than the provocative position and dress of someone who, at the very least, perceived him as a brother, were the comments Hollow Zangetsu was making. Evidently, he did not care about the 'moral implications' of incest. In fact, he had his own description.

'**Kinky!**' He happily shared with his wielder.

Thankfully, Nejibana quickly grew tired of the Hollow's crude comments.

'Quiet!' The female spirit ordered. Based on the squeal that followed, Ichigo could safely say that a her weapon found its mark.

Growing slightly uncomfortable in the silence; which nobody seemed willing to break, Ichigo decided to break the tension.

"So... I can't help but notice you didn't give me as... enthusiastic a greeting as Kukaku, Taicho. Why is that?" He asked with a smirk. Ukitake's following chuckle showed it was well received.

"And you believe that would be well received by Yamamoto-sama? Interrupting a captains meeting to have a reunion?"

"Hmm... maybe not." Ichigo grinned.

"Besides, I was aware that you and Kaien are not one and the same." Ichigo nodded slowly in return, and awaited the next question, since this was the perfect opportunity to broach the subject. "About that... how _do_ you have Nejibana?" Everyone in the room visibly perked up at this; even Yoruichi wishing to hear the explanation. Ichigo cleared his throat, and began; he had organised his explanation, with the help of the female spirit, and was glad he did as it was a subject he himself had some trouble getting his head around.

"You all seem to have deduced that I must be the reincarnation of Kaien Shiba, right?" The four listening nodded the affirmative; that was the most logical conclusion, after all. "I am, according to Nejibana, and I can't think of anything else that'd make sense. As Kaien, I died; then, as Ichigo, I was born. Not hard to understand that but for some reason, one that none of my Zanpakuto will tell me, though I feel like they know, I still had... dormant Shinigami abilities. At the same time, Nejibana did not properly die when I did. It was that bastard Hollow's powers, I can't remember its name at the minute, that saved her, in fact. They... _seperated_ her from the rest of my, or should I say Kaien's, soul, somehow, but she survived. Eventually she found me again, and managed to bond to my soul as Ichigo. I have no explanation as to why that was possible, other than the fact that, apparently, my soul is more... porous?" That was true, though Ichigo couldn't remember the term for it in Spiritual terms, even if it was not the whole truth. "And my Reitsu called out for help after something... traumatic happened to me. She, and Tabigarasu, found me then. Well, Tabigarasu did, Nejibana had always been... with me. That just woke her up, I guess, and now she's one of my partners." Ichigo nodded to himself, before continuing.

"To answer what I guess will be your next question; I have _some_ memories from my time as Kaien, but those are mostly either _vague_, or the ones that stood out to Nejibana, as she was a part of my soul back then and so I... have memories from her?" His scowl, which had faded away earlier in the conversation, came back in full force at the difficulty Ichigo was having explaining this. "_Something_ is holding back the rest of my memories, and I'm sure that I could regain them, though I haven't any idea what that is." He shrugged; that was the best he could explain the situation, without going into more detail that would just confuse him, and everyone else, unnecessarily. "Any questions that I can answer?"

"Yeah, I have one," Kukaku said, with a very visible frown. "Does that mean... you're not staying?"

"No, I'm sorry. I have a family back in the Living world... But I'm going to come back to the Soul Society often, if only to train, if that helps."

"Well that depends." The dark haired woman commented. "Do I have to _drag_ you here to make sure you stay with family, or will you come willingly?" She growled at him.

"Uh... I'd love to stay here." Ichigo nervously chuckled; not wanting to test his mettle against his 'sister'.

"Good." The current head of the Shiba family nodded, finishing her queries.

"On that topic, can I assume you aren't going to retake your place as Lieutenant?" Jushiro was fairly sure of the answer, but wanted to check.

"No!" Ichigo exclaimed, before catching himself. "I mean, no, Taicho. If I was going to become a part of the Gotei 13 again, I'd end up being forced to be a captain." He shivered at the thought of trying to manage the paperwork on top of everything else.

"Captain?" Rukia interjected. "You have a Bankai? I didn't see you use it, unless that strange staff was it..."

"I didn't use any of them." Ichigo answered. He would have elaborated, had Rukia not responded so quickly.

"What?! Why not?!" Rukia glared at her ex room-mate. "You didn't think it was necessary, Baka?!"

"Well yeah, but-"

"But what?! You didn't want to try to stop Aizen?!"

"Of course I wanted to stop him! I couldn't use it b-"

"So you're lying then?! Here in front of Ukitake Taicho?!"

"RUKIA!" Ichigo yelled, shutting the girl up, as she glared at him. "The technique I _did_ use, was the strongest one I _could._ All of the Shikais together are stronger than any one of my Bankais against an enemy like Aizen. You saw what happened to Kommamura with his Bankai. No guarantee from using one that you'll beat a Captain; 'specially not one like Aizen. He was strong, obviously."

"If you could use all of them in Shikai, I'd ask why you didn't use all of them in Bankai." Ukitake spoke, though he was fairly certain of the reason again; the captain was intelligent enough to know the strain that would be put on Ichigo's spirit with more than one Bankai. Ichigo grinned at the query, and answered.

"Chances are, it'd kill me." Ichigo answered, with a chuckle, as he laid a hand on Nejibana, on his left hip. "And I'd take a good number of people with me when I went; my reserves are pretty deep, after all. When, not if, my power became... unstable, I would take a good portion of the Soul Society out along for the ride. My Zanpakuto assure me of that. Even two Bankai would potentially kill me and anyone in the vicinity." He smirked over at Rukia. "That would've included you, Midget." The small girl grumbled, and may have muttered an apology, though Ichigo could not say for sure.

-()-()-()-

Ichigo was wandering through the Sereitei; having just left the Shiba residence. If he was staying here for the time being; until there was time for the bureaucracy needed to send him home, specifically, he might as well begin training. Currently, he wanted to get started on the Hakuda techniques; since he lacked even a fraction of the technique he'd seen from _most_ of the specialist squad, and hopefully he'd be able to effectively train that even while keeping his Reitsu suppressed. He'd use Urahara's training ground when he could, and the man had no choice about that after the stunts he'd pulled, but there was only so much time he could spend away from his family before his sisters got upset with him. Not to mention Yoruichi's weird recommendations about him speaking to Soi Fon before they returned to the Human World. Goat-chin would probably get annoyed if he left for too long, as well, but Ichigo wasn't particularly concerned about his dad's feelings.

While he was making his way to Second Division; at a slow pace as he was lost in his thoughts of home, and the reactions he was going to receive, Ichigo did not register the fact that a captain was making his way towards him. A captain and his Lieutenant.

"Ichigo!"

"Ichi-Kun!"

The orange-haired man turned at the enthusiastic, if unnerving, yell followed by a childlike call. Seeing who had found him, Ichigo paled, before ignoring his more vocal spirit and taking off at a run.

"I'm not fighting you, Kenpachi!"

"That sounds like you've got a choice!" Kenpachi leapt forward, his battered Zanpakuto swinging at his would-be opponent. "Dammit!" The human-turned-Shinigami had vanished in a blur of Shunpo, and Zaraki was left without anybody to fight.

"Did we lose the game of tag, Ken-chan?" Yachiru asked, disappointed. "Ichigo is fast..."

-()-()()-()-

"You fool!" _Crack_. "How dare you-" _Crunch._ "Shame me in front of-" _Thwack. _"Lady Yoruichi?!"

Marechiyo Omaeda, Lieutenant of the Second Division, groaned; lying on the ground in a heap after his captain had decided to take her revenge. Captain Soi Fon was muttering about her pathetic Lieutenant even as she felt a large and familiar, as of her fight with Yoruichi, presence approaching. How she felt about the man nearing, she was not sure. On the one hand, he was obviously an asset to the Gotei 13. On the other; he was too close to Yoruichi for her to be _happy_ to meet Ichigo.

The petite captain let out a sigh; half of exasperation at her squad's ineptitude, and half something else. Everything was changing, and Shaolin was not sure how she felt about it; she just knew that the human coming to her division was the catalyst for the change that was to come and that she should be wary of him for that. In her mind, that meant she could also be suspicious of his intentions towards her ex-mentor. This was the perfect chance for her to interrogate Ichigo on this matter.

Ichigo, on the other hand, had nothing at all against the assassin-captain. Even though she briefly broke his nose, it was completely justified; he'd been holding Tabigarasu to her throat, after all.

Omaeda was just staggering to his feet, as a black and orange blur rushed through the grounds, and came to a stop across from him; revealing itself to be the human-Shinigami that had, so far, defeated the overweight Lieutenant twice in battle.

"You!" True to form, Marechiyo charged at Ichigo, ignoring the fact that he had blood running down his chin from his Captain's assault. "Come back for more have you?!" He drew his blade, and roared his incantation. "_Crush, Gegetsuburi!_" The katana morphed in to the large flail that was his Shikai, as he grew near to his would-be-target. "Take _this_!" The fat man swung his Zanpakuto, and the spiked mace-head was flung at Ichigo, who snorted.

"Again? Really, do you never learn?" Ichigo vanished in a flash of Shunpo, and appeared inside Omaeda's reach with Nejibana already half drawn. Stepping past the balding Lieutenant, the blade flashed out and, by the time Ichigo had re-sheathed the katana, the man was back on the ground, weeping, with blood flowing from a gash in his large gut.

Taking the initiative, an unnamed member of the Second Division appeared in a burst of Shunpo, grabbed the Lieutenant, and vanished once more; most likely heading to the Squad 4 to get Omaeda help.

"Captain Soi Fon!" Ichigo called in greeting, spotting the woman he had come looking for. He walked over to the petite Soul Reaper, as she turned to face him with a slightly sinister look of amusement in her eyes. He'd forgotten the pleasure she took from her arrogant subordinate's pain.

"Ryoka." The black-haired Captain acknowledged him.

"_Ex_-Ryoka." Ichigo corrected, with a smirk. "How are you on this fine day?" He asked, with a bow. One that was more than slightly mocking; drawing a small growl from the girl in front of him.

"I am fine, thank you." She returned curtly. "And yourself?"

"Better since I've stopped having to fight for my life." Ichigo nodded, before correcting himself. "Well... mostly, but I doubt anyone's really safe with Captain Zaraki around."

"That's true, though he eventually loses interest in most opponents." She informed the _ex_-Ryoka. "Why are you here?" She did away with the pleasantries, and she raised an eyebrow at the orange-haired hybrid.

"Ah. Down to business, eh? I wanted to ask if it was possible for me to train with your squad in the techniques of Hakuda and Hoho."

"Why would you need to do that? Don't you have Yoruichi-sama to _teach_ you?" Soi Fon asked, with a bitter tone of voice.

"Um... I suppose I do. Yoruichi suggested that I should see you about learning, though. She said something about you needing to ask me a question. I trusted her judgement, as weird as the statement was, so... here I am." Ichigo shrugged, not knowing anything more. Certainly not that they had an audience, in the form of a black cat, watching from the rooftops. "What d'you want to ask me?"

"Um..." Now, how should she ask this? Soi Fon decided to just do it. "What is Yoruichi to you?!" She blurted out, before realising that this phrasing was... awkward. Yet she couldn't think of a better way to say it.

"A... teacher? I guess. If you're asking what I assume you are, bear in mind I thought she was a cat until I came here." Ichigo answered, without going in to any actual detail. Yoruichi _was_ one of his mentors, and until he came here she hadn't told him about her human form until recently. There was no way in hell he was going to tell the, frankly, obsessive captain in front of him that he'd bathed naked with the subject of her obsession. That would end... badly.

How was he to know that Yoruichi would tell her ex-protege?


	14. Orihime is Forgetful

**Here's a chapter of Savage; Ichigo's back in the human world for now.**

**I'm not sure, just yet, whether I'll do any filler arcs, but the Zanpakuto rebellion arc would be interesting if I did, don't you agree? So there is a decent chance that I'll include that one, but not so much of the others since they would just feel unnecessary to me. If anyone disagrees, please let me know why.**

**Otherwise, I'll let you know before I start an arc other than the main story ( included in the Manga).**

**Oh, and I'm sorry if Rukia was annoying in the last chapter, but I don't really think that it was any real stretch from how much she annoys Ichigo in Canon; particularly as he was being rude to Ukitake at the time.**

**I hope you all enjoy the chapter, and Favourite/Follow/Review.**

**-()-()-()-**

_Old Man Zangetsu_

**Hichigo**

Nejibana

-()-()-()-

In his basement training area; one that he was very proud of, Kisuke Urahara waited with a grin on his face. From what he understood of young Ichigo's trip, it was a great success. Even if he had lost the Hogyoku, Urahra wasn't willing to let his mood be dampened; at least, that was the impression he gave to the youngsters next to him. Even if he was aloof, Urahara knew that the traitorous captain, even without such an amazing invention, if Kisuke did say so himself, would be a serious threat to the innocent souls of the Soul Society, and Urahara was rather unhappy that Aizen was now all the more formidable.

In front of the inventor, there was a Senkaimon. The first one he had seen, in a long time, that was sanctioned by the Gotei 13. Of course, it was simple for a man as intelligent as he to open, given his practise, and now he only had to wait for one of his oldest friends to return with his protege. Then, they would begin Ichigo's training anew and the boy could become better able to protect the people he cared for; that was all the hybrid was motivated by, after all. Of course, the ex-captain wouldn't be doing it out of the goodness of his heart. The... unique nature of Ichigo would be fascinating for him to study.

He was sure Isshin's son would not mind. Even if Urahara had intended to inform him of the study.

A sensor beeping thrice told the oddball genius that there were souls incoming, and his grin spread even further as he drew the fan from its holster at his hip. The man did not consider the anger of the short-tempered teen, after the actions he himself had committed against Ichigo; dismissing them as non-consequential in the grand scheme of things. That was one of his evident flaws, after all. He saw the big picture, and dismissed ethics in favour of advancement. Even if his amoral nature _paled_ in comparison to his, ironically, pale successor.

As he pre-emptively raised the fan to cover the lower half of his face, Kisuke's eyebrows raised.

Why would Ichigo, or Yoruichi, need to use Shunpo so close to the exit? The cleaner was not in there with them.

It was a perfect example of Urahara's skewed perception of reality that he assumed they were only in a rush to see him once more; no doubt to thank him for providing the method of travel and the vital information on the Seiretei's current affairs. His cheeks reddened, and he let out a small giggle as he wondered if they had brought him any gifts and his mind wandered to some... inappropriate methods of thanks they could have settled on.

"What's up with him?" Jinta asked Ururu, as he slowly edged away from his employer. The quiet girl shrugged as she, too, gave Urahara an uneasy look. They had learned, from years of experience, that it was not a good sign for Kisuke to have odd expressions.

"Hello, Kisuke." The two youngsters' attention was pulled in another direction, as a black cat materialised in front of their boss. The masculine voice was bored, as was common for Yoruichi in her cat form, and gave no hint to the man as to the fate that awaited him seconds later.

"Ah. Hello Yoruichi, I am glad to have you back." Urahara visibly searched the vicinity; twisting his neck left and right, before he spoke again. "So... where's Ichigo?" He must have been planning a surprise to show his gratitude, was the conclusion Urahara reached, as another giggle escaped his lips.

"That was a strange noise, Hat 'n' Sandals." A voice commented, from behind Kisuke, in a venomous tone.

The bucket-hat wearing man twisted in surprise, just in time for a fist to collide with his face, and he was sent tumbling on to the ground with a series of strange noises that, to Ichigo, sounded like expressions of disappointment interspersed with grunts of pain.

"As were those." Ichigo looked at the crumpled man with confusion, before continuing. "_That_ was for putting the exit a hundred metres in the sky," He walked to the green-dressed man, and grabbed the front of his shirt. "_This_ is for sending me to get one of your failed fucking experiments; and for almost killing Rukia for the sake of destroying the same god-damn thing." Ichigo pulled the man up with his left hand, and drew back his right; clenched in to a fist. "Oh, and as a fair warning, this is going to _hurt_."

-()-()-()-

Ichigo wasn't going to enjoy this. He was painfully aware of that fact, and cringed as he approached the gate to the local park. Logically, he knew that there wasn't much to worry about. He didn't actually give a shit what Ishida thought; the self-righteous douche wouldn't care what Ichigo's opinions were, either. There was no doubt in his mind that he did the right thing for Innoue; of course she would be upset that she couldn't help her friend, but the girl was too innocent for violence, even if she was involved in this world. _Especially_ since she was involved in this world. It was Ichigo's ridiculous reiryoku, and the constant leak, that dragged her in to being spiritually aware, so he wouldn't forgive himself if she was to be hurt when he could avoid it.

And Chad? He wasn't the type to make a scene. That was all Ichigo had.

But the fact remained that the friendly giant would be _pissed_. They were meant to have each other's backs, and Ichigo betrayed that. Like with Innoue, he would have been furious with himself if he let his best friend be hurt, or worse, in an endeavour he didn't need help in. And, no matter what was exchanged in the next few minutes, Ichigo's success had _proved_ that he didn't need Chad, or any of them for that matter, to risk his life alongside him.

No; Ichigo _shouldn't_ feel as guilty as he did. If only he'd thought to _tell_ them why he was leaving them behind, the Hybrid Shinigami-Human would, probably, feel better right now. The course of action he had to take was clear, in his mind, however. He would take the three, or two of the three, anyway, to Urahara's, and _show_ them the gap between them and him. If he had to, he'd pull out one of his Bankais to drive the point home. Even if Kisuke told him they'd been training, not one of Ichigo's friends would be able to match him on their best day.

If they could, he would sincerely apologise because that would mean he was wrong, and they could have handled themselves.

But they wouldn't be able to. Of that he was certain.

Bah. If only it was as simple as his reunion with his family had been. The Old Man had been as simple as ever; attacking him in a weak enough attempt that his son could simply side step, and help him on his way out of the door. Karin had chuckled, and Yuzu had berated the flying form of Isshin for attacking her Onii-Chan as soon as he got home; just before she leapt at her brother with enthusiasm.

Ichigo had laughed merrily as he caught Yuzu in a hug, and the girl's matching response was ample reward for the return and the stinging medicine to remove the cuts and bruises that had adorned his knuckles post-reunion with Kisuke. Medicine that he knew was Urahara's attempt to get some meagre revenge since Tessai could have easily healed the minor hurts with kido.

Karin had hidden her own enthusiasm behind a smirk, but had returned Ichigo's hug happily as the three stepped in to the house; leaving their father to whine and moan about being left in the cold by his 'cruel, cruel children'.

_They _hadn't held any grudges against him, but the same was obviously not true of his friends. The reason this was obvious? Because he'd tried calling Chad and Orihime already, since his return, and the first's only reply had been to tell him when and where to meet, while Innoue had declined the call altogether. Ishida would probably have done something similar, but Ichigo didn't have the Quincy's number, and didn't care enough about his opinion to ask Keigo, or Mizuiro, for it. And that was assuming they had the antisocial Quincy's number.

'I guess I should just get on with it.' Ichigo shifted slightly; uncomfortable in his body at the moment, as it had not yet copied the changes his Spirit form had undergone. It was like wearing shoes a size too small, and he felt stifled by the confinement. He would have forgone it for this trip, since they were spiritually aware, but his body would never catch up if he didn't spend time wearing it.

"Kurosaki-kun!" A feminine voice called to Ichigo, as Innoue forgot she was mad at him briefly; slightly ecstatic at seeing her crush once again.

Ichigo, unaware of her reasons, was surprised at the happiness he heard in Orihime's tone, and looked up to see Ishida apparently berating her for the mistake, and Orihime looking sheepish; embarrassed for her slip.

"Hey, Innoue." Ichigo said in response, as he neared the trio. The neutral faced teen, rid of his scowl for this conversation lest he come across as even ruder, pretended not to notice the twitch of the girl's lips that announced she was, at least partially, forcing her current frown. "Chad." The Mexican boy's feelings were hidden as he nodded back to his friend. "Ishida." The Quincy's eyes narrowed, and he gave no other response. Pausing, Ichigo exhaled loudly before speaking once again.

"I'm sorry." He said, in a solemn tone. Unsurprisingly, Uryu was the one to respond first.

"You're _sorry_?!" He repeated, with scorn. "That's all you have to say?!"

"It sums up what I have to say pretty well," Ichigo replied to the... query. "And I didn't think any of you would be interested in hearing my excuses."

"Excuses?" Chad spoke up now, crossing his arms as he waited for clarification.

"Okay, then." Ichigo looked at Chad first of all. "I truly am sorry for leaving you, Chad," He neglected to mention _how_ he left them, since that was something he did _not _have an excuse for_._ "It's only because I was worried about you, but I know that if the situation was reversed I wouldn't feel any better because of that. I'll only ask that you come to Urahara's, and let me _show_ you why I didn't think that I should bring you and put you in harms way." The gentle giant nodded after a brief moment of consideration, and Ichigo turned to Orihime.

"I'm sorry Orihime; I know it must have hurt that you couldn't help save Rukia," As Ichigo looked in to her eyes, Orihime, surprisingly, did not glance away. Instead, she returned the look with determination betraying the difficulty in this task. For her, anyway. "But I wouldn't ever forgive myself if something happened to you. I have no justification other than that." The blush on Orihime's cheeks went unnoticed as Ichigo turned to Uryu.

"And Ishida... well... I couldn't bring you along without the other two." Ichigo shrugged. "Plus, you would've annoyed the hell out of me if I did."

"Wait, why would you bring him and not us?" Orihime asked, weakly.

"Because I don't care about him anything like I care about you." Orihime suddenly forgot how to speak; not noticing that Ichigo had meant she and Chad, since they were two of his closest friends, and took up a look much like her crush's namesake.

"Tss." Was Ishida's response. "You think we'll buy that?" He looked to the other two for support, only to come up lacking in that regard. Orihime was a stage off hyperventilating, and Chad seemed to have decided it would be best if he heard his best friend out before passing judgement. The glasses-wearing boy's mouth opened and closed repeatedly; eerily resembling a goldfish.

"How is Rukia?" Chad asked; as the other two did not seem to be in any state to continue the conversation.

"She's good. Stayed in the Soul Society, but it's her home and they've stopped trying to kill her, so... yeah." Ichigo shook his head and continued at the slight incredulous look in Chad's eyes; one that would be undetectable to someone who didn't know him as well as Ichigo. "Not that that makes much sense to me, either, but she seemed happy to be there."

"Any trouble?" Chad asked, using few words; something that was to be expected from the quiet teen.

"Of course; but nothing I couldn't handle eventually." He smirked, and continued. "Some of the Shinigami you _really_ don't want to meet." Kenpachi was at the forefront of his mind, but the clown-faced captain and the... friendly Lieutenant of 10th Division were right up there with him. Ichigo imagined Ishida's head would explode at meeting someone so lazy.

-()-()-()-

Ichigo's conversation with the three did not last much longer and, after walking Orihime home; hers being almost on the way back for him, Ichigo headed back to his own house for dinner. Stepping to the door, the orange haired teen knocked once and stepped aside...

Just in time for Isshin, who had obviously been waiting for him, leapt out the door poised to strike. As he sailed past Ichigo, Isshin saw his son's annoyed face for an instant before the younger Kurosaki's boot met his gut in mid air.

After his father's _greeting_, Ichigo headed inside, to spend some time with his sisters while gratefully eating Yuzu's cooking. There was nothing comparable in the Soul Society, and Ichigo made it clear that he had missed the excellent food, much to the delight of the light haired twin.

Dinner was an ordinary affair; Karin had told tales about her soccer, and the boys she'd humiliated recently, while Yuzu talked briefly about her own holiday so far before beginning to question Ichigo on his trip. He didn't like lying to his sisters, but the human-Shinigami had no choice and so had repeated the story Yoruichi helped him invent. Evidently, they'd believed him as Yuzu hung on to every word and Karin feigned disinterest in the story.

After dinner, Ichigo was shooed out of the kitchen by his sister, as she refused his help with the dishes, and chose to head up to his room rather than sit listening to his whining father; Isshin was upset that none of his kids had apologised for the perceived slight earlier, as Karin and Yuzu had declined to help him once again. As his hand found the door handle to his bedroom, Ichigo's brow deepened in to a frown.

"And what are you doing in here, Yoruichi?" Ichigo asked, as he walked in to the room. The black cat; sat on his bed, looked up and spoke.

"I came to see if your talk with your friends went well, of course." Yoruichi replied. Ichigo only hesitated briefly, before shrugging and responding. It wasn't as if he found her violation of his privacy shocking at this point.

"It went alright," Ichigo nodded, as he sat at his desk; given that his bed was occupied. "Chad and Innoue are planning to come to Urahara's tomorrow. I'll show them the difference in our power and that'll, hopefully, show them why I thought they'd be put at risk if they came and faced captains of similar power."

"Oh? And are you going to take them to the Soul Society at a later date?" The cat asked. "I am sure that they would also benefit from training with Soul Reapers other than myself and Kisuke."

"Hmm. I hadn't thought about that, but I guess I'll ask them tomorrow, since it's not my decision to make. No chance Uryu'll come, since he's... less than fond of Soul Reapers, but Chad and Innoue might want to." Ichigo shrugged. "I suppose I'll have to give them a more thorough warning about certain Shinigami before then, though." Yoruichi gave the cat-equivalent of a smile at the thought.

"By the way," She said after a brief silence. "There's something I need to warn you about." Ichigo waited for her to continue for two minutes, until he decided to speak up.

"Are you going to make me guess what that is, or will you tell me?"

"That depends on whether or not your manners improve."

"When have my manners been lacking?" As far as Ichigo was aware, he'd done nothing that could be considered rude since the conversation began.

"You haven't said the magic world."

"The magic word? What're you talking about?" Ichigo asked, confused. "I haven't started learning kido spells yet..."

"No," Yoruichi dead-panned. "I mean you should say _please_." She had expected the human-shinigami to get that.

"Oh, alright. _Please_ tell me what you need to warn me about." Why he needed to ask, Ichigo had no idea, but it didn't seem worth the effort for an argument he wouldn't likely win. Plus, now he wanted to know.

"The Soul Society..." She paused, for impact. "Is sending a reconnaissance team to observe you and the people around you."

-()-()-()-

'_Ichigo_,' Old man Zangetsu began, as his wielder arrived at the scene. '_This would be an ideal time for you to attempt to call us forth_.' He suggested, to the others' agreement.

'Right. And how do I do that?' Ichigo stepped out of the 6 limbed, canine-ish Hollow's path as he asked.

"_Okay, firstly I would recommend calling myself first, since I have been with you for longest and the strain will be less than Hichigo's blade._'

'Of course you would recommend he use you. Ichigo hasn't been aware of you for any longer than he has me.' Nejibana interjected, irritated. 'His connection isn't any stronger with you than me. Don't lie and say that it would be easier to summon you.'

A growl came from the inside of Ichigo's head.

'The size of our sealed form makes no difference. Don't even start, Tabigarasu.'

'Okay! This is fascinating and everything, but I could really use some actual instruction!' Ichigo called out, as he evaded yet another strike from the Hollow in front of him. The thing wouldn't be any threat to him in his Spirit form, but it was significantly more difficult to use his abilities in his human body and just dodging was _asking_ for trouble.

'_Well, Ichigo, focus on whichever blade you wish; focus your Reiatsu on to your hand, and _draw_ it while picturing said Zanpakuto_.' Zangetsu explained, briefly. He knew that his wielder understood things far better when they were concise, and even more so when he _had_ to get it in the midst of battle.

'Right. Here we go.' Ichigo stepped aside once again; speeding himself up with a burst of reiatsu, and did as his Zanpakuto recommended.

It was a shock to the Hollow, who had come here for an easy meal, when the human in front of him placed his right hand next to his left hip, and a bright blue, flickering light engulfed said appendage. If it had been capable of conscious thought, the HellHound would have wondered just _what_ the orange-haired man was, since he had simply assumed his good fortune was why he'd encountered a soul with such juicy reserves.

The canine-Hollow had just enough time to catch a glimpse of an orange-hilted katana in Ichigo's hand before the human-shinigami appeared in front of his face, and the blade ran down its mask.

-()-()-()-

"Ichigo! It's good to see you again!" Kisuke called, as he backed away a little; his black eye twinging as he wondered if the boy was done with his revenge.

"Hey, Hat 'n' Sandals, are the others here yet?"

"Ah! You mean Chad and Orihime!" The scientist realised, happily. "Yes, yes, they're through the back." Urahara turned and wandered back through the store; reaching the entrance to his basement-training-area and beginning the descent as Ichigo followed.

"Look who's here!" The shop owner announced, as he reached the last rung of the ladder. "Ichigo!"

"Kurosaki-Kun!" Orihime adopted the man's enthusiasm; forgetting, once again, that she was supposed to be in a bad mood with Ichigo, until Chad murmured something to her and she re-donned her scowl.

"Ichigo." Chad nodded in greeting.

"Hey, guys." Ichigo returned; dropping the last few feet to the rocky ground below. He then turned back to the older man. "Is everything ready, Urahara-san?" The hybrid asked.

"It is," Kisuke grinned, raising his fan to cover the lower half of his face. "Would you like to begin?" He asked of the trio, since the Quincy boy had, as Ichigo predicted, decided not to attend.

"Sure." Ichigo responded, while the other two simply nodded before they walked over to a cluster of rocks, where Ichigo now noticed Tessai was stood.

The Human-Shinigami drew a badge from his pocket; one that had the image of a skull printed on it, and pressed it against his chest. His two human friends were shocked to see his human body fall away, and him be left there stood in an odd version of his old attire; one they'd only briefly seen before he knocked them unconscious. As previously, he was wearing a jet black Kimono, but where he had had a white shitagi, or under-shirt, there was now an equally dark item. The Kimono's arms were missing, leaving Ichigo's bare, and a crimson sash was wrapped around his waist, with a pair of black-hilted katanas resting on his left hip.

"_Come forth and pierce the sky, Zangetsu!_" Ichigo drew the blades, and they transformed with an explosion of reiatsu. Ichigo held the two out in front of him; each running parallel to each other and the ground, and took a slow, deep breath as his eyes lit up in sapphire light. "_**Bankai!**_" Ichigo was engulfed in an explosion of black Reiatsu, and the two humans backed away at the massive pressure; felt even through the kido barrier.

The subsequent show thoroughly convinced Chad and Orihime of Ichigo's message. They really weren't strong enough to fight someone of his calibre, as he insisted the Captains were. They would have to start training seriously if they were ever to match their friend and crush, respectively, in battle. And if they could not come _close_ to that level, at the very least, how could they ever stand beside him?


	15. Hiyori has a Temper

**Here is a chapter of Savage; I'm sorry to say that you're going to have to wait to see any of Ichigo's Bankais. I am doing this deliberately, of course, since there have yet to be any enemies where he aught to use it, in my opinion.**

**I hope you enjoy the chapter, and Follow/Favourite/Review**

**I'm still undecided about the fillers, but I'll probably do the Zanpakuto rebellion, at the very least, since that's quite applicable to this story.**

**-()-()-()-**

_Old Man Zangetsu_

**Hollow Zangetsu**

Nejibana

-()_()_()-

"Faster, Ichigo!" Yoruichi ordered, as the Subsitute Soul Reaper faltered for a step. "How do you expect to beat Aizen if you're that slow?!"

"I've been running for an hour now, Yoruichi! SHUT UP!" Was the orange haired human's reply. It was true; he had been flash stepping over the course for an hour at this point, and his chest was rising and falling quite rapidly; something that was entirely visible to the dark skinned woman as he had shed his upper body's clothing at the half an hour mark. As Ichigo appeared, in a blur, at the top of a particularly tall crag the woman berated him again.

"And do you think that Aizen'll die _quickly_?!" She asked, rhetorically. "If you can't even manage to keep up with me, how do you expect to fight the traitors? They obviously will have forces that you need to cut your way through! It won't be a _fast_ fight!"

"First of all," Ichigo began, taking a deep breath before continuing. "_Aizen_ isn't the goddess of Flash." Another inhale. "_Secondly_, you aren't doing anything! How am I not keeping up with you," He vanished and materialized again. "When you're just sat there-" Ichigo gasped. "Watching me struggle?"

"As soon as I think that you can give me a run for my money, we can have a race; unless you think that you're ready to challenge me already?" Even though he couldn't see her at the moment, Ichigo was certain that the Goddess of Flash was smirking. "Perhaps we could make a wager?"

"Not a chance." Ichigo grunted, as he landed on ground level with a stumble. "No way I'm making a bet with _you_."

"And what does that mean?!" The ex-Captain demanded of Ichigo, appearing next to him and shoving him backwards. The purple haired woman glared at Ichigo as he slowly stood.

"It means," Ichigo began, rolling his shoulders and testing whether his legs could support him after so much exertion; it was the equivalent of running _several_ marathons one after the other, and only continuing when he had assured himself that nothing was damaged; at least not permanently. "That whatever you would suggest betting would be... inappropriate? Distracting? Stacking the deck in your favour, since you would start immediately after putting _some_ kind of dirty image in my head."

"That's... true." Yoruichi shrugged, with a grin, and patted Ichigo on the arm. "Well, now that you've decided to take a break, shall we go to the Springs?" She asked, with a wink. She had shown him the replica of the rejuvenating hot Springs as soon as she could. And at every other opportunity, just to remind him of his unwilling promise in the Soul Society. "It would be the perfect time for you to fulfil you end of the bargain." She suggested, without a hint of subtlety.

"Yoruichi," Ichigo began, with a vein visible in his forehead to demonstrate the frustration he felt. She had directed the conversation to this at every opportunity. "We did _not_ make an agreement. You _flashed_ me, and told me that I would have to do the same to "Make us even". The _only_ reason I didn't argue at the time is that I was in a _rush_! I don't want to strip for you, as I've told you countless times!" As the woman briefly pouted, and then looked alarmingly chipper, before a thought occurred to Ichigo. "And I'm going to start locking the doors and windows to my room and invest in some blackout curtains, so don't you dare try to spy on me! If you do..." He racked his mind for a threat, and gained a smirk. "I'll tell my dad that you're trying to spy on _him_." The purple haired exile looked slightly ill at the thought of what the exuberant man would do; most likely declare that it was selfish no to share his _beauty_ with the whole world, before _sharing_ it. He was, even now, faithful to Ichigo's mother, but one word that could not be used to describe Isshin Kurosaki was _shy_.

"Fine," Yoruichi shook the image out of her head, and sidled up to Ichigo. "Maybe I need to try another method to _convince _you." She smirked, and pressed her clothed breasts against Ichigo's bare back.

"Sorry Yrouichi," Ichigo vanished in a blur of Shunpo, and appeared a hundred metres from her. "It's about time for my training with Hat 'n' Sandals. He said that I'll be meeting some of his friends soon." Kisuke hadn't actually used friends, instead opting to call them his ex-comrades, for some reason Ichigo was sure would be strange, but the human-Shinigami inferred that the two meant the same thing. "See you in a bit!" He left Yoruichi stood, confused, with her arms half wrapped around the empty space in front of her, while her pupil fled the uncomfortable situation.

"Damn you, Kurosaki," The Goddess of Flash growled. "You may have won the battle, but I'll win the war." The purple haired goddess smirked, as she imagined the fun they would have later that same day.

-()-()-()-

"Oi, Urahara-san!" Ichigo called, as he exited the training area; wholly unaware of the absence of clothing on his upper body. As he glanced around, he saw no sign of anybody, and was about to begin walking through the store when his attention was pulled to something behind him.

"Uh- Um- Uhh..." The hybrid heard from behind him, and turned to see Ururur staring at his abdomen.

"Oh. Hi, Ururu," Ichigo grinned at the girl. "Do you know where Urahara is?" The girl didn't respond. "Umm... Ururu? You okay?" He crouched down, in front of the girl, and was startled to find that she was _very_ red in the face. "Are you alright?" He repeated, in a worried tone. As she, yet again, failed to respond, Ichigo placed the back of his hand against her forehead, and was startled to find that she was burning up. Checking the vicinity, he located Tessai and scooped the girl in to his arms; quickly moving through the shop to get the small girl some help. Worryingly, her symptoms seemed to worsen as he carried her.

"Tessai!" Ichigo called, as he found the man stood behind the store's counter. "I think Ururu needs help!" Ichigo showed the unconscious girl to the ex-Captain, and the large man made a concerned noise as he felt the feverish girl's brow.

"Set her down over there, Ichigo." The hybrid lay her on the counter, and Tessai began his checks. "Now, tell me what happened."

"I'm not sure," Ichigo began, confused. "I came out of the training area; looking for Hat 'n' Sandals, and found her stuttering and staring at me; or maybe just staring in to space. When I approached her, she didn't seem to hear me, and she was very hot to the touch, so I decided I should take her to you, since you're best qualified to take care of her. But, then, when I picked her up she passed out in my arms!" Ichigo exclaimed.

"This is not good. I don't ever recall seeing such a sudden onset fever; I saw her not a minute ago, and she was fine. I will do what I can; healing Kido is enough to heal most illnesses, and hopefully she will recover quickly. If not, I may ask you to bring her to the Soul Society; Unohana-Taicho should be better able to identify this mystery illness." Tessai focused on the girl, and began to cast the healing magics over her. "Did you say you're looking for Urahara-sama? He's out front, with a... customer. I would recommend you put a shirt on first." One sat on the counter on the other side of the store that would be a decent fit, and so Ichigo donned it.

A customer? That would be a first; Ichigo had yet to see somebody make a purchase from Kisuke's store.

-()-()-()-

"I DEMAND that you stop _deliberately_ sabotaging my subordinates' mission!" An angry, female voice exclaimed just as Ichigo walked out the door.

"I'm not sabotaging their mission! I thought it was a game!" Kisuke responded, to the small captain's ire.

"In _what way_ is your pointing out their positions a _game_?!"

"Have you never heard of _hide and seek_?" Kisuke asked, in a patronising tone that suited his smirk rather well.

"No, I haven't!" Soi Fon answered, in a matter-of-fact, if irritated, voice.

"Oh, well it's really simple," The exiled Shinigami began. "You see; one person is the _seeker_, and it's their job to look for the _hider_, who hides as best they can. Whoever mana-"

"I don't care how to play!" The current captain barked, as Ichigo spotted her hand on the small blade on her hip, and Urahara spotted him.

"Oh! Hello, there, Ichigo!" The hat-wearing man grinned at his _apprentice_, and continued in an amused tone. "Is it true that you think Soi Fon-Taicho is cute when she's angry?" It felt as though the world had slowed to a crawl for several seconds after Ichigo heard the statement, and Soi Fon turned to look at him, an unreadable expression on her face.

"Wh-What?!" Ichigo exclaimed, and raised his hands into a defensive position. "N-No! I didn't say that!" He denied, truthfully, and backed away.

"Oh? So you think she's ugly?" Kisuke's grin widened at Ichigo's panic.

"No!"

"So she's pretty?"

"Yes! I mean- I- She's..."

'A little help here, guys?' Ichigo requested of his inner spirits. 'Nejibana?' He specified and, to his relief, received an answer.

"I have no right to say what my opinion is one way or the other; while it is obvious to any who look that Soi Fon is beautiful, she has never expressed any desire to hear my opinion, and it is disrespectful to comment on her appearance without request." Ichigo repeated what his Zanpakuto said in what he hoped was a confident tone, and gulped nervously. "Nor do you have any right to pose questions of that nature." He added, with a glare, to Urahara.

Soi Fon stared at Ichigo after he said this; blinking confoundedly for a good half-minute, before a brief flash of satisfaction seemed to pass over her face, and she turned her anger back on to Urahara, while the exile's grin faded for several moments before coming back in full force.

"Do not try to change the subject; it just points out that not _all_ men are as despicable as you are!" Ichigo _supposed_ that that was a compliment, if a backhanded one, and was relieved that he escaped unscathed. "Why Yoruichi-sama tolerates you, I will never know."

'Thanks for that, Flower.' The hybrid thought, with a relieved sigh. 'Things could have turned ugly.'

'There is no reason to thank me, Ichigo; I would not have been able to tell you what to say had you not known, subconsciously, how to diffuse the situation yourself.' The Zanpakuto assured her wielder.

'**Hey! I could have helped!**' Hichigo stated.

'No. You could've made a crude comment that would have resulted in me running for my life if I was dumb enough to say it out loud.' Ichigo responded, as the others who could hear their conversation voiced their agreement

'**Well... yeah, but it's a little insulting that you didn't even **_**ask**_**!**' The Hollow exclaimed. '**Maybe next time you ask someone to fight I won't volunteer.**' He threatened his wielder.

'Right, because it's really in your nature to pass on a fight.' Ichigo turned his attention to the outside world as his hollow tried to argue his point, gave up, and started swearing.

"... besides, I don't think that my talking to Ichigo's changing the subject at all. It's him your men were spying on, after all." Kisuke's grin was splitting his face as he pointed this out to the diminutive captain before him.

"That's not- they weren't spying; they were doing reconnaissance!" Soi Fon stated vehemently, and did her best to _subtly_ glance at Ichigo. While she was excellent at stealth in terms of infiltration and fighting, the Captain was less able when it came to social interaction. The petite captain was shocked to find the human-Shinigami looking unperturbed. Evidently, something about her look told Ichigo she had expected surprise and, most likely, fury because of the obvious violation of his privacy. He supposed that she may have guessed correctly, had they been able to hide from him; the Soul Society still didn't trust him, and that hurt, but why would they? It had been less than a month since he invaded them and kicked several asses.

"What? I knew they were watching me. I wasn't thrilled about it, but it was easy enough to avoid doing anything I'd rather your spies didn't see." Ichigo shrugged, and looked to Urahara. "Stop trying to stir up trouble." The human-Shinigami recommended.

"I agree. It could end badly for you." Soi Fon smirked, as she fingered her sheathed Zanpakuto again. Then, she frowned and looked at Ichigo. "I'll have to have words with those that failed their task; I'll explain the situation to the Captain Commander, and it is likely that you will be updated on the situation upon revisiting the Seiretei." She stood there for a moment; a stoic expression hiding any thoughts she had in the hesitation. "When will that be? I need to make a report." Ichigo had thought she came here to berate Kisuke, so it was strange that Soi Fon had an assignment, but dismissed it as a mistake on his part.

"This weekend; the day after tomorrow, in other words, I believe. I can only train so much in the world of the living, after all. Oh, and on a related subject; would it be possible for us to train some more when I arrive?" It would be useful for him.

"Yes." Was the curt response Ichigo received, before the captain vanished in a burst of Shunpo. A few moments later, Urahara wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

"I think she likes you." The exile chuckled. "Now, should we get going? My ex-comrades are _anxious_ to meet you." The hat-wearer grinned at an inside joke, and Ichigo got a very uneasy feeling. "Oh, but I have to fetch Yoruichi first; she wants to tag along." That didn't make the hybrid feel any better about the situation.

"Really? She didn't mention anything about coming… with us." He said, trailing off when the shop owner vanished. "Okay, then. I suppose I'll wait out here."

-()-()-()—

"Eh? Are you sure this is the place, Urahara-san?" Ichigo questioned, as the trio of souls; Ichigo's body left at the store, stopped outside of a run-down warehouse. "It's kind of… shabby; do they really live here?"

"An illusion, dear Ichigo!" The exiled man grinned, unsurprisingly, and stepped forwards. "HEY, GUYS! IT'S ME, KISUKE!" He yelled, waving his arms above his head.

"They can see you, Kisuke." Yoruichi commented, from her place next to Ichigo, as she trailed her fingers down the Substitute's arm. There was no need to be so loud, since the Vizards' barrier alerted them to the presence of any souls in the area.

"What are you doing, Yoruichi?" The orange haired teen asked, with confusion, as her fingernails lightly ran down his flesh.

"Doesn't it feel nice?" She asked, pouting, as she paused her ministrations.

"Umm… I guess?" Was his befuddled response.

"Good! Then I'll keep going." She smirked, and

"But… why are y-"

"There we go!" A light orange barrier had appeared in front of the hatted man, and a gap about the size of a doorway had opened up for the trio to enter. "Come on, love-birds, let's go!" He exclaimed, before running inside. Why he did this, Ichigo had no idea, but he was prevented from asking as Yoruichi followed her friend at a more sedate pace; though she was still walking faster than Ichigo was happy to be pulled, as she took his hand.

"What are you- What's going on with everybody today?" He asked the air, as he allowed himself to be pulled through the gap. He heard a giggle, from somewhere, but was unable to locate the source as he glanced around the area. The doorway slammed shut as Ichigo passed through, and he heard a commotion from ahead.

Yoruichi obviously heard it, as well, as she sped up to catch up with Urahara; the Goddess of Flash, unlike the man she was dragging, had a good idea of what that noise meant, and it promised entertainment. There was a reason she had come today, after all.

"WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL, BAKA?!" A small, blonde girl yelled at Kisuke, to Ichigo's surprise; whatever he had been expecting the noise to be, it wasn't _that_. And it certainly wasn't for said girl to be beating Urahara with her sandal; as the red imprint on his face suggested. "HOW MANY TIMES DO WE HAVE TO TELL YOU _NOT TO DRAW ATTENTION TO US_?!" Off to the side, a blonde man watched with amusement, as his fellow Vizards watched with varying degrees of the same.

The girl flew at Urahara again, with her shoe poised to strike, and the hat-wearing man squeaked; dodging out of the way and hiding behind Ichigo and Yoruichi to escape the angered girl's wrath.

"YOU!" The girl was effectively distracted, as she spotted Ichigo. "You're the one we have to train, eh?! The newbie, dead waited BAKA?!" She threw the shoe at Ichigo, who stepped out of its path, and the projectile _thudded_ against Urahara's forehead, and he fell to the ground with a whimper.

"That's not very nice." Ichigo commented, as the girl snarled. "You're quite temperamental, aren't you?" The unnamed blonde man snickered, and Ichigo's attention turned to him at the same time as the angry girl removed her remaining sandal.

"BAKA!" Was her battle cry as she leapt at the snickering blonde, and planted it into his forehead. As she continued to attack the other blonde, Ichigo heard one of the others comment.

"You'd think he would learn by now." The afro'd man shook his head, as the others voiced agreement.

"Okay… I'm going to need somebody to tell me what's going on." Ichigo stated, as he looked at the carnage around him. "Who's the little girl? Why's she so angry? And who's the poor sucker she's beating on?" He glanced back at Urahara, and continued. "I'm sure Kisuke deserved what he got, but could someone say what, exactly, he did this time?"

"I can do that," Yoruichi suggested, as she turned to Ichigo. "_These_ are the Vizards. Did Kisuke explain who they were before he brought you here?" A shake of Ichigo's head answered her question, and the dark-skinned woman sighed. "Of course not. Well, the story's quite a long one; so you should sit down. It's also the story of how we were exiled." This caught Ichigo's interest, and he took the suggestion to heart; sitting on an empty chair as the others; excluding three obvious examples, made themselves comfortable.

"Hey!" Yoruichi's method of making herself comfortable; sitting on Ichigo's lap, inspired this response from the Substitute Soul Reaper.

"Do you want to hear the story or not?"

"Yeah, but why does telling it require you sitting on my lap?" Ichigo asked, logically.

"It's a distressing story; I may need comforting if I'm to make it all the way through."


	16. Vizards, Soul Society, and Training

**Here's another chapter of Savage. I decided to write this today because... well, because I felt like it and I didn't ****_really _****finish the scene yesterday. Apologies to anyone that wanted me to explain the Vizards situation, but I can't be bothered to write that out. I assume everyone knows, but if you don't check out the Bleach Wiki, or search for it on Youtube, I'm sure it's there somewhere.**

**I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

**-()-()_()-()-**

**Hollow**

_Old Man Zangetsu_

Nejibana

-()-()-()-

Inside the warehouse home of the Vizards, Yoruichi finished detailing the events in which Aizen condemned the Hollowfied Shinigami to this fate, and then convinced the Shinigami court to sentence them to death when he saw the results of his experiments. Yoruichi was,

"And _how_, exactly, was that a distressing story?" Ichigo asked the woman sitting on him. "You seemed fine through the entire narrative."

"That's because you're so good at comforting me, silly." She smiled at him, as Ichigo made a disbelieving noise.

"Are you going to get off me now, then?"

"Hmm… no, I don't think so." The Goddess of Flash grinned at Ichigo, only to be thwarted as Kisuke spoke up; having joined the group halfway through the story; after his nose stopped bleeding. Similarly; Shinji and Hiyori were now sat with the group.

"If I might make a suggestion," The male exile began. "Ichigo may want to train with the Vizards, since they will provide a different nature of opponent than any he has fought before." He turned his head to Ichigo. "Assuming you've never fought somebody Hollowfied, that is." He gestured for Ichigo to stand; believing that they would get right in to training.

"Not that I know of, no." Ichigo did as was suggested, and dumped Yoruichi on the floor before standing and cracking his neck.

"Oh, you'd know if you'd fought one of us; kid." Kensei Muguruma stated, with a smirk.

"In that case, I'd have to say I haven't." Ichigo replied.

"Hold on, Baldy," Hiyori held up her hand to Urahara. "Does he even have a mask? I ain't training a Soul Reaper." She shook her head vigorously, as the others nodded their agreement; they, understandably, held a grudge against the Shinigami.

"He does," Urahara answered. "I've seen it myself; when he regained his powers." The bucket-hatted man grinned, as Ichigo nodded; his annoyance that the question hadn't been directed at him minimal. "I am sure Ichigo would be happy to give you a demonstration; right, Ichigo?"

"Sure," The hybrid nodded. "How should I do that?" The orange haired man questioned.

"I'm going to beat on you until your Hollow takes over." Hiyori commented, not waiting for Ichigo's reply, and leapt in to action. She was in an even worse mood than normal.

"Wait!" Ichigo just managed to exclaim, before he had to dodge out of the way of her sealed Zanpakuto. "What the hell-" He drew his own blade; Kikoo having been sat on his hip at the time, and blocked the small girl's katana's blade with his own, red hilted, katana. "Are you doing?!" The girl attacked again; her Zanpakuto narrowly missing Ichigo, and the human lost his temper. "Bitch!"

The Human-Shinigami lunged forwards and Kikoo cut a lock of hair from Hiyori's head, and the girl gained an expression of shock; appearing a safe distance away and fingering the bald spot while Shinji howled with laughter; imagining a wholly bald Hiyori and finding the image very humorous.

"Shut up, Baka! You're distracting!" The girl barked, as she scowled at the leader of the Vizards. "You wanna go?" She asked Ichigo. "Fine!" She raised her hand to her face; her fingers imitating claws, and continued. "But you asked for it!" Her hand, and head, was engulfed in reiatsu.

Ichigo gained his own look of shock, briefly, as the girl's reiatsu skyrocketed, and took on a sinister quality. When Hiyori's reiatsu subsided, and he could see her face, it became clear why; covering her face was a Hollow's mask; the prominent feature of the bone-like mask being the horn protruding from her forehead, as well as the reverse-kite patterns running horizontally underneath said horn with diamonds directly below, and Ichigo somehow got the impression she was grinning below said mask.

"Huh." Ichigo muttered, as he dodged out of her way; the girl attacking once more, and pushed the girl away. "I wonder why yours looks so different."

"**Bahh**!" Hiyori leapt at Ichigo once again, and the human raised Kikoo to defend himself. It turned out this was not necessary, as Shinji appeared between the two with his own Zanpakuto blocking Hiyori's path.

"Wait!" He ordered. "Didn't you hear what the Newbie just said?!"

"**No! And I don't care**!" Hiyori replied in her garbled voice as she darted past her friend, and swung her Zanpakuto; Kubikiri Orochi, in its sealed form, once again. This time, she was intercepted by Rojuro Otoribashi.

"He said your mask's _different_!" The girl ignored him, and continued on her war path.

"That means he's got one himself!" An enthusiastic girl exclaimed, as Mashiro Kuna stood in front of Ichigo, and between him and the angry blonde.

"**Bullshit! He would've used it by now if he did**!"

"Not necessarily." Kensei commented, from the sidelines.

"**And why not**?!" Hiyori demanded.

"Because you haven't made me break a sweat yet." Ichigo answered for the Vizard, as he sheathed Kikoo. He grinned as a vein pulsed in the girl's forehead, and continued. "But don't worry; at least you tried." He stepped out of the way as she lunged at him again, and laughed. "Jeez. You might be formidable if you got your anger in check."

"Everybody just calm down!" Shinji exclaimed, before turning to Urahara. "Why didn't you tell us Ichigo had subdued his Hollow already, Kisuke?" He asked, and was satisfied at the result.

"**You KNEW**?!" Urahara didn't have time to answer befroe he started to run for his life as a small, blonde girl, still wearing her mask, chased him with a shoe in hand.

"There; that got rid of her for a while. Now, would you tell us how you have control of your Hollow already? We _all_ needed help, and I find it hard to believe that you _didn't_."

"From what Yoruichi said, you were made in to Vizards... artificially, right?" Shinji nodded, with a small shrug. "Well, I've had a Hollow since I was born. I'm not _certain_, but I think that my mom was… infected by one, and it transferred to her first born. Me." Ichigo said, slightly uncertainly. "He's a bastard, and fought me _a _lot when I was younger, but I had help from my Zanpakutos, and eventually we became civil... Well, civil-ish; he still comments on everything around me, and they're never exactly _nice_ things he says, but he doesn't try to kill me at random intervals anymore, so I call that a win." He smirked, as said Hollow complained about that description.

"Well, that's more than any of us have managed. Our Hollows hate us, and it sounds like yours... doesn't." Shinji said, with surprise on top of his previous jealousy. "Maybe you're different, because of the _natural_ element. What does Kisuke say on the subject?"

"He hasn't said anything to me."

"Really? Weren't you curious about your Hollow?" Shinji asked, bemused. "Why wouldn't you ask Kisuke? Say what you want about him, he's the smartest guy I've ever met."

"'Cause he's been with me for as long as I can remember," Ichigo stated. "The way I see it, I've got no reason to trust him any less than the other spirits I have. Hell, maybe less, since he's so... truthful." Yes, that was a nice way to put it, but not necessarily honest. "Okay, maybe it's more like he doesn't understand the concept of lying, but it's hard not to trust someone without the ability to be dishonest. But, anyway, I consider him something like a friend. Or did, once I finally bought what he was selling."

"Huh. Must be nice." Shinji said, with envy evident in his tone. The expressions on his allies' faces mirrored this feeling. None of their Hollows was even _sentient_, let alone trustworthy.

"Yup. So, how are we going to train?" The human-shinigami queried, looking around at the other Vizards.

"Well, we'll need to see how strong you are first; to do that, I'd say you should have a go at duelling each of us, with your mask on, of course, since that's what would have happened if you didn't have control over your Hollow. I know _I'm_ itchin' for a fight." The Vizard smirked. "How about you, guys? Since I've never heard Hiyori say no to violence."

Rojuro nodded boredly, from his place on a sofa, as he tuned a guitar he had retrieved from... somewhere.

Love gave a thumbs up in answer, showing that he, too, was willing to fight Ichigo.

Lisa looked up from her Manga and shrugged. She, like Rojuro, didn't particularly care about fighting.

Hachi didn't answer; he wouldn't be fighting anyway, instead he would be setting up the barriers to minimise the destruction that occurred.

Kensei nodded the affirmative with a smirk.

"How long can you hold it for, Berry-tan?!" Mashiro, finally, asked of Ichigo; providing her own answer.

"Berry..." Ichigo scowled at the nickname, before deciding to simply answer the girl's question. "I don't know; I've never actually worn it in the real-world." At the looks of surprise, he elaborate. "I've only been a soul reaper, with the ability to wear my mask, for a few weeks, and most of that time's have been in the Soul Society. You're living proof that they don't take well to things that are different, and my Zanpakutos were plenty to make me stand out."

"You said that earlier as well," Shinji spoke up again; speaking for the others. "It sounds like you're saying you've got _two_ Zanpakutos or something..."

"Four, actually," Ichigo replied. "And one of them's a dual-wield." The human-shinigami grinned as the others sweat-dropped, and prepared to tell the story; no doubt they would pester him until he shared the basics, at the very least. That would be troublesome, if he was to spend any significant period of time with them, and if they were to get involved with the fight against Aizen.

-()-()-()-

"Hurry up, BALDY!" Hiyori yelled at her opponent, as the pair stood inside a newly created, courtesy of Hachi, barrier. "This is pointless if you don't PUT ON YOUR MASK!"

"Will you be _quiet_ if I do?" Ichigo asked, with annoyance evident in his expression and tone. "I'm stood right in front of you, there's no need to scream stuff."

"FINE!"

"That's... never mind," He shook his head, as Shinji grinned at him from outside; they'd all attempted to convince Hiyori to use her indoor voice before, and none of the Vazards expected Ichigo to be the one to finally succeed. "Are you going to put your own mask on, or should I go first?"

In answer, Hiyori brought her hand to her face, and it radiated pink energy as she donned the horned mask as she drew her Zanpakuto. It hadn't changed any, of course, and so Ichigo felt no surprise at the appearance.

"**C'mon the, Ichigo! Let's see if you deserve to join us!**" Hiyori said, loudly. "**Just 'cause the hat-wearing Baldy suggested it, doesn't mean you're already in!**"

"Who said anything about wanting to _join_ you? As far as I can tell, you're a bunch of cowards!" The blonde girl bristled at that, and Ichigo _would_ have chuckled, had he not been deadly serious. "Why else would you just be sitting here, while Aizen's still out betraying... well, everyone? No, I'm gonna take the fight to him; not just sit in a run down warehouse." Ichigo shook his head. "But, I need training if I'm going to beat him and, if impressing you's the only way to train with people who are obviously strongIn that case, I might as well give it _some_ effort," The human-shinigami grinned, as he raised he hand to his jawline. Similarly to the girl before him, his hand was engulfed in Reiatsu, though this was blue, and he began to call his Hollow mask forth; something he rarely used, since he, unlike these exiles, had nothing against using Shinigami powers.

Hiyori watched, confused, as Ichigo swiped his hand upwards; none of them did it in that direction; it just seemed... strange. Then, her surprise was pulled elsewhere.

"That's..." Outside of the barrier, Shinji, as well as the others, was shocked. Ichigo's reiatsu, to start with, was immense; not something they expected from a _human_, but that was not what surprising the psuedo-leader of the Vizards the most.

As different as their masks looked, none of the Vizards had such unique Hollow _forms_. There was a hockey mask, a pharaoh, a bird, and, yet, Ichigo's was... stranger. Fiercer.

The bone-like material wrapped around Ichigo's entire head; covering his orange hair that, admittedly, made him look a little less intimidating everyday, with four crimson streaks running from the base of his skull, over the scalp where the two centremost stripes stopped in sharp points, and the two outside lines ran down his face and finished at Ichigo's jawline, only curving slightly; briefly vanishing to avoid his eyes and the sharp; fang-like teeth that were grinning at his opponent. On the sides of his head, two small spikes were protruding; looking like the horns of a devil, and pointing to the sides. Those observing couldn't help but feel that these were _wrong_ somehow.

Perhaps it was incomplete.

"**What's the matter, tooth-girl? You look like you've seen a ghost.**" Ichigo asked Hiyori, as he drew the katana sat on his hip; Kikoo would be good, as long as he didn't have to release Shikai. He certainly didn't expect to, so there was no harm.

"**N-Nothing. I'm just curious; that looks... c-cumbersome.**" She gulped. Unlike the others, she could _feel_ Ichigo's Reiatsu.

"**Oh? So you're... **_**shaking**_**because you feel sympathy? I didn't think you cared.**" He stepped forwards, pointing Kikoo at the smaller girl, and continued. **"****Shall** **we?**" Ichigo asked.

"**I'm not shaking, Baldy! Shut up!**" True to form, Hiyori leapt at her opponent with her Zanpakuto raised.

The katana swung at Ichigo's mask; attempting to shatter the _helmet_, and Hiyori cursed as he ducked the blow. Ichigo's fist slammed into her stomach and the girl was thrown backwards, and landed in the dirt. With a _buzz_, Ichigo appeared over her, where she was flat on her back on the ground. In another second, the girl leapt to her feet and attempted another attack.

"**Too slow**..." A garbled voice hissed in her ear, as Tabigarasu pressed against her throat. "**Heh. But I don't much want the fight to end yet; I'm enjoying this.**" He pressed his hand against the girl's upper back and shoved her forwards. She tumbled in to the dust, and Ichigo leapt back; flipping and landing in a fighting stance once again; both blades in the ready position. "**For the record; these're two **_**different**_**Zanpakuto.**" Ichigo stated, for the others' benefit.

His katana swung upwards, and caught Hiyori's blade where it appeared. Ichigo shoved her away, breaking away from the grapple with a flick of his wrist.

"**C'mon, Hiyori-chan, you can do better than **_**that**_**!**" The familiarity in his tone irritated the girl, and she snarled. "**But,**" He began, as he leapt back and a blade passed through the space he'd previously occupied. "**If you want to, you'll need to get your temper in CHECK!**" Tabigarasu vanished, and Ichigo drew the katana's sheath instead. He appeared behind the girl with another _buzz_, and _whacked_ it over the back of her head.

Spinning, Ichigo moved to the side of the short girl and placed the sharp of the blade against her throat; sheath at the back of her neck to keep her still.

"**Bah. We're done, I suppose. I'd bet we'll fight again, though, so I won't let it bother me.**" Ichigo re-sheathed the Zanpakuto and patted her on the head.

"**Bastard! We aren't done!**" Hiyori yelled, and leapt at Ichigo once again.

"**Yeah, we are.**" Ichigo slammed the hilt of Kikoo against her mask. "**Do me a favour, and** s**end in one of the others.**" Ichigo grabbed the back of her red tracksuit, and tossed her at the side of the orange barrier.

"**H-He**yy!" Hiyori yelled, as her Hollow powers dissipated and she was narrowly saved slamming face first against the wall by a doorway appearing.

As she flew past the pair, Kisuke commented to Shinji about the outcome, with an amused tint to his voice.

"I told you he was impressive."

"Yeah, yeah. I don't see why _you're_ so proud. He's not _your_ kid, or anything." Was Shinji's response. "And if you don't stop being so cocky 'bout it, I'll tell Hiyori you were rooting for Ichigo."

"You wouldn't..."

"I would."

"Hey! Can you two stop gossiping, or should I just go in and fight the Punk?!" Kensei asked, in an agitated manner.

"I see no problem with that." Urahara commented. "Ichigo said he'd be happy to fight everyone, after all, and you're one of the crazies that seems keen on the idea." The hat-wearer grinned, and a fan materialised in his hand. "Good luck!"

Kensei didn't give an answer, as he stepped in through the doorway of the barrier, and strode to the centre of the makeshift arena.

"You never did answer Machiru. How long do we have before your mask times out?" The ex-captain asked.

"**I don't know. That was, and is, my answer.**" Ichigo replied.

"Eh. I guess I best get started, then. Are you a one-trick-pony, or can you fight without hand-to-hand, too?" The pale-haired man asked, just before his mask appeared on his face; a hockey mask with several slits running down each side. "**None of that lot like training in Hakuda, after all.**" he nodded to their audience.

"**I know the feeling; not a lot of people understand the joy of beating the daylights out of someone with nothing but your own fists.**" Ichigo grinned under his mask, as he remembered all the times he had done just that along with Chad back when he was a human.

"**I couldn't have said it better myself.**"

-()-()-()-

"Please don't hurt me, Berry-tan..." Machiru asked Ichigo, who stood over her, as her bottom lip trembled and her eyes watered. Kensei watched, in a huff after he had failed to beat Ichigo, and his mood was not helped any as he watched his ex-lieutenant use such dishonourable tactics.

"**I wasn't...**" Ichigo started, confused, as there was the threat for Machiru to begin crying. "**I'm sorry,**" He sheathed Neibana; used in this duel, and knelt next to the green-haired girl. "**Here, let me hel-ooph!**" The human-shinigami offered the girl his hand, only to be kicked in the head, and sent flying.

"Woohoo! I win!" She exclaimed, with a large grin, only to be corrected by Lisa; who looked up from her erotic Manga long enough to point behind Machiru. "Eep!" Ichigo was stood behind her; mask only a little cracked on the side of his head. The grin, somehow, seemed even more sadistic at this point, and the girl was scared.

"**That wasn't very nice**."

"I'm sorry!" The exile exclaimed as she fled.

-()-(_)-()-

Ichigo had finished, for now, his training with the Vizards. Now, he was heading through the Dangai for training with a wider variety of people; none of whom would cheap-shot him after pretending to be terrified.

Well, none that Ichigo intended to seek out.

As the human-shinigami stepped out of the darkness, and in to the Soul Society, he dropped to the floor a few feet below; landing softly as he peered around. Next to him, a similar, if even softer, thud sounded a second later.

"So, where to first?" Yoruichi wondered, as she sidled up to Ichigo. This time, the human-shinigami didn't even bother trying to shake her off his arm, as she took his hand; it was seeming more and more pointless to fight her affection and, if he was honest, Ichigo was curious _why_ she was so friendly. First, it certainly seemed that she was simply very flirtatious but, even after spending so much time around the woman, he had not seen her act like it with anyone else. Not that he _would_ have been honest with himself about the curiosity if he didn't have several spirits more willing than himself to point it out.

"I'd best check in with Kukkaku," Ichigo answered. "She seemed quite determined that I stay at hers whenever I'm in the Soul Society for some reason. After that, I'll find someone to spar with for a couple of hours. Then, I'll get something to eat; I'm already a little hungry."

"I would _love_ to join you, Ichigo! Thanks for asking!"

"Wait... what?"

-()_()_()-

"Ichiiigo!" Aforementioned substitute-Shinigami turned to the man approaching at alarming speeds, and raised his hands. "Fight me!"

"I will! I will!" Ichigo responded. "But I have some conditions, first."

"Conditions?" Kenpachi repeated. "Why would I agree to your conditions when I could just attack you?" The tall man grinned, brandishing his battered Zanpakuto.

"Because if you attack me without agreeing to them, I'll just Shunpo away." Ichigo explained, calmly. "But if you agree to them, I'll fight you frequently, even if it isn't quite as often as you would like to. You know I'm faster than you, so you'll fail to catch me if I run."

"Ichi-Chan's right, ken-Chan!" A pink head popped up, over the bell-haired man's shoulder.

"Fine. What're these conditions?" Zaraki asked, impatiently.

"Firstly, I'm not fighting you to the death. If either of us dies, that will just hinder the Soul Society in the fight against Aizen, and I neither _want_ to kill you, nor want to die." Ichigo surmised. "I'm happy with violence, but that's all I'd be happy with, since that in itself will bring a heap of trouble on to me. And you, as well, if you have to visit Captain Unohana."

"Fine. Fine. What else?"

"Not here." The Captain had found him in the middle of one of the roads passing not too far from his division, and collateral damage would be unavoidable if the two fought here. "Let's go to your division, first, since I'd bet you have an area to fight without risking hurting somebody other than your opponent."

"Anything else?" Kenpachi growled; frustrated at the delay.

"Hmm... no, not really." Ichigo racked his brain. "Well, I'd appreciate it if you left me alone for a while after this," He said, before continuing, once he saw the agitation on Kenpachi's face. "I'll fight you again, but I can't spend every moment fighting you, can I?"

"Fine, fine. Me and Yachiru are going on a trip after this, anyway, so I wouldn't have asked you even without that... condition."

"Okay, then," Obviously the man didn't feel like sharing, and Ichigo didn't have any need to know where Kenpachi and his adopted daughter were going. "Shall we get on with it?"

-()-()-()-

Later that night, after a brawl with Zaraki that tired him out enough that sleep was welcome, and a dinner with Yoruichi; which was okay, as long as you discounted her low cut top that was rather distracting, Ichigo was lying on the bed he'd been provided with by his not-sister Kukkaku in a deep slumber. He was having a pleasant enough dream, even if he would not remember it later, about his friend's in the human world. As annoying as they often were, it provided a needed break from training.

Well, it provided a _temporary_ distraction for the sleeping human. One that would, inevitably, end. With such... exuberant characters in the house, the peace would obviously be short-lasting.

"YORUICHI!" Ichigo's voice rang through the house, as he woke to find the woman's golden eyes inches away from his own. The woman giggled, before answering the unasked question of why she was in his bed. Not that her excuse was great.

"I just wanted to let you know, I have to head back to the living world; something's come up." She said, with a pout that Ichigo missed due to the dark. "But thanks for a great night. I'll see you soon." The woman vanished, and Ichigo blinked confusedly; not awake enough to react any more than that.

"Weird woman." He muttered, before rolling over and going back to sleep. It was fortunate that he would remember the conversation in the morning, or he may well have panicked.


	17. The Rebellion Begins

**Here's another chapter of Savage; I'm beginning the Zanpakuto Rebellion arc in this chapter. I hope you all enjoy it; I believe it's pretty compatible with Savage's plot.**

**I don't think I've got a lot else to say here. As always, I welcome Reviews, Follows and Favourites.**

**-()-()-()-**

"Huh?" A groggy Ichigo Kurosaki asked off the air as he woke with a start. "Wuuz goin' on?" Ichigo rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he sat up straight, and stifled a yawn. "Where am I? Oh, right, the Shiba house... so why did I wake?" If there had been a _threat_, Ichigo would have been ready for a fight in a second; a skill he'd mastered thanks to his father, yet he didn't detect anything of the sort.

"Am I thirsty or something?" Ichigo wondered,, bringing a hand to his throat, before shaking his head. "No... I feel fine, if a little sleepy." Ichigo shifted to the edge of his bed, and placed his feet on the ground. Standing, the orange haired human stretched; popping his neck and then cracking his back before rolling his shoulders. "Maybe I heard Kukkaku, or something." He frowned, and walked to the door; wholly unaware of the small, black shape following him closely.

He walked down the hallway with a haze over his eyes; wishing he could have gotten more sleep and entirely planning on going back to bed when he figured out what woke him. Unfortunately, he was _curious_, and felt the need to know before hitting the hay again. First, he checked the bathrooms and kitchen; empty. Next, the dining and living rooms but they, too, held nothing to explain his insomnia. Still, Ichigo didn't notice the creature flapping along, silently behind him; he'd never had to look for them before, after all.

Tip-toeing, Ichigo stopped outside the bedroom of Ganju, and quickly reached the conclusion that his not-brother was asleep based on the rumbling snores that passed through the thin door.

Moving carefully and quietly, Ichigo reached his not-sister's room, and heard no snores. Cautiously, he opened the door a crack and whispered "Kukkaku?" When no response came, he poked his head slowly around the door, and found the girl deep in slumber; looking very undignified as she was sprawled out over her bed with two quilts piled on top of her. Ichigo exited the room, and crept back to his own after shutting the door softly.

"Nothing." He scowled in confusion, and looked around his room, and Kukaku insisted that it was his, in search of the source. Maybe he'd missed it the first time.

Then, he felt a small pulse of reitsu to his left and slowly turned; his hand going to his hip in preparation to call forth one of his blades.

It wasn't a threat.

"A butterfly?" Ichigo asked of the butterfly. "Oh, you're one of those talking butterflies, aren't you. I'm sorry for ignoring you, little buddy." He held out his finger, and the butterfly landed on the tip. It replayed the message, before flying away.

"Shit," Ichigo yawned. "Old man Yamamoto's going to be annoyed, I'd bet. I don't imagine people keep him waiting very often." He groaned; the Captain Commander had given specified to be there as soon as possible, after all. "Better get going." He finished his thought, as he grabbed the sleeveless Kimono he typically wore in his Soul Form. In a burst of Reiryoku, Ichigo vanished in a blur of speed; headed for the Sokyoku hill; not a place he much wanted to visit, but he hadn't been given a choice in the matter.

-()-()-()-

'Well, that's a lot of people,' Ichigo thought, at the sight of so many Soul Reapers.

No response came from his inner world.

'Uhh... guys?' Ichigo wondered. 'Hello? You asleep?' They did not answer in any obvious way. 'Hey! Wake up!' The human-Shinigami exclaimed, with a small amount of worry. If he hadn't been expected, Ichigo would have sat down and entered his Mindscape; unfortunately, that didn't seem to be an option at the moment. 'I'll find out what's up in a minute, guys; I just need to check whether this meeting's anything pressing. And why there's a meeting without the Old man.'

As he Shunpo'd on to the hilltop, Ichigo landed mid-step and observed the scene in front of him. There was a strange quantity of Reiatsu in the air, but the human-shinigami put that down to so many captains being gathered at once. All of them bar the Head Captain and Zaraki, from the looks of things.

'I wonder why the fog's so thick.' He thought, just as one of the strangers spoke up; everyone seemed to be focused on him, so maybe he'd already been speaking. The guy looked weird, to say the least. Pale, with purple hair and freakishly long fingernails.

"... I have freed your Zanpakuto," The weird looking soul stated. "They are no longer under your control." Ichigo didn't comprehend that at the moment, and spoke; talking to the crowd as a whole. as the man raised his hand to the front of his face.

"Hey, is the bear guy okay?" The human asked; spotting Sajin Komamura lying in the dirt across from the stranger. No one had the time respond, as the man smirked at the sight of Ichigo Kurosaki before making his move; giving the signal to his allies by swiping his hand to the side.

On cue, a dozen explosions tore through the ground below the hilltop; wrecking the buildings in the Seiretei with various abilities.

"What did you do?!" Renji demanded of the man in front of them, with his sealed Zanpakuto in hand.

"Oh, that was not me," He smiled condescendingly at the red haired man, and continued. "_That_ was your own Zanpakuto expressing their freedom."

"No!" Momo exclaimed, in horror.

"I am afraid it is true, girl." He said. "Your Zanpakuto have been freed. They are no longer under your control.

"This was just a small preview of the power my allies hold, so that you would begin to comprehend how futile it will be for you to fight. How little hope you have of victory in this battle.

"And as for the Spirits you so foolishly believed you owned; that you forced your will upon... well, cast your eyes on their forms!"

All around him, Ichigo heard gasps and surprised exclamations as new spirits appeared out of thin air; the Zanpakuto had arrived, and he found it rather interesting to see them all.

Some were miniscule while others were large. Next to Soi Fon, there was a tiny, bee-like Zanpakuto; contrasting against the figure that Ichigo now guessed to be Komamura's sword and the beast of a spirit stood next to Ikkaku.

Some almost resembled their owners; Rangiku's was a well endowed female with a spoilt attitude, based on the fact that she shoved her ex-welder out of the way, others just looked strange; like the metallic creature next to Kurotsuchi, or simply out of place like the two little girls next to Ukitake.

But Ichigo's attention was pulled away from the others as three figures walked past him, and he felt confusion creep to the surface of his mind.

"**See ya soon, King.**" The bleached Zangetsu grinned and clapped the human-shinigami on the shoulder as he strode past Ichigo, while his stoic counterpart remained... well, stoic, as he followed suit. Ichigo would not expect either of them to leave him, but it was not as much of a shock as the next one to slowly walk by.

"Nejibana?" He asked. It baffled the hybrid that she would feel the need to leave; he'd never thought she seemed anything less than happy to be with him.

It was a further surprise when the female spirit did not answer him, and Ichigo was forced to watch her walk away; unable to say a word.

"My name is Muramasa," The stranger, who seemed to have started this, spoke. "And this night marks the end of your reign of tyranny over the Zanpakutos." He raised his hand, and a purple hilted sword appeared in his hand. The man stabbed it into the ground, and Ichigo's attention was unwillingly dragged to the ground that suddenly rose in columns, and the dust that spread over the hill; blocking the Shinigami's senses. "Now, the Zanpakuto will rule!"

"'The Zanpakuto will rule the Soul Reapers'?! What is that, a joke?!" Jushiro Ukitake exclaimed, with frustration.

"Oh, on the contrary," Muramasa said, with a smirk. "As you can see; every one of your Zanpakuto are now free of your control, and will not surrender themselves again."

"_Roar, Zabimaru_!" Evidently, Renji had not taken the stranger at his word, and attempted to release his Shikai. Npthing happened, and the spirits stood atop their columns roared with laughter at the idiocy.

"While this news is rather important, and interesting," Shunsui Kyoraku began, stepping forwards. "I feel the need to ask where Yammamoto-sama is; he was the one who called us here, after all."

"You are mistaken there," Muramasa replied. "Genryusai Yamamoto has been... sealed. When we approached the Zanpakuto of Genyusai Yamamoto, Ryujin Jaka, it refused to cooperate with us. To solve this issue, we called on your Zanpakuto; Katen Kyokotsu, as well as Sogyo no Kotowari and Minazuki, to seal his power." As the others murmured about this revelation, Ichigo felt his patience wear thin.

"Okay, that's impressive and all but, as long as we're having a Q&amp;A, I have something I want to ask you, too." The human-Shinigami stated, as he stepped next to the captain. Even compared to the conspicuous captain, Ichigo stood out for the simple fact that he hadn't bothered to fasten his kimono in his hurry, and it hung open unlike the formal appearance of all the others present.

"Yes, Ichigo Kurosaki?"

"Firstly, if you expect me to be impressed that you know my name, you're very much mistaken," Ichigo began with irritation in his tone. "I don't give a shit if you can tell me the last time I had a sex dream; or who it was about, since you've got three of my Zanpakuto apparently allying themselves with you." The irritation grew significantly. "What I want to know, is why you've left me with two in Tabigarasu and Kikoo. I would guess they didn't want to join your rebellion, but why am I still free to kick your head in, if they refused? Why didn't you lock me up along with the old man?"

"Hm... An odd way to express your point," Muramasa commented, as he looked at the shocked faces of many Shinigami, and arguably interested in the case of a select few, and several Zanpakuto, present. From what he had seen of the boy in his reconnaissance, Muramasa observed that Ichigo was typically rather reserved, if slightly angry as his scowl would suggest. Was his temper that bad? "But you are correct that they refused my offer rather... vocally," That the stranger raised a hand to his side at the same time as Tabigarasu snarled gave Ichigo a hint as to what that meant. "But I had already made the plans regarding the head-captain, and so we let you be. You are far younger, and so I am sure that you pose little threat." The man said, dismissively.

It was strange that none of Ichigo's three Zanpakuto spoke up to correct Muramasa, and the human narrowed his eyes slightly at the fact. That suggested something slightly relieving to him, and further evidence supported his assumption. They weren't devoted to this... cause. No; they had their own motivations, though two of them were unclear to Ichigo.

Old man Zangetsu was staring at Ichigo, but his eyes were not filled with hatred or anger, as many of his fellows were staring at their wielders, but with... worry. What was he worried for?

Nejibana was not staring at Ichigo at all. In fact, she seemed to be avoiding looking at him at all costs but was, instead, watching Captain Ukitake with a determined gaze. Ichigo could not say why.

Hollow Zangetsu, on the other hand, was grinning sadistically, and that told Ichigo what he wanted. The Zanpakuto spirit was itching for a fight, and wanted to scratch that itch.

It was for that reason that, as Ikkaku leapt in to action, attacking Muramasa, Ichigo was moments behind.

"We've all heard enough from you! The time for words is over!" A Zanpakuto that had appeared next to Captain Hitsugaya had blocked the bald man, but Ichigo passed right by; not aiming for Muramasa.

"**Aw, c'mon King**!" His Hollow dodged out of the way as Kikoo's sealed form cut through the air he had been occupying moments before. "**Can't you let me have even **_**a little**_** fun?!**"

Several of the Soul Reapers present watched with shocked expressions as the pale version of Ichigo Kurosaki vanished, and Ichigo followed; leaving the rest of them behind in favour of pursuing Hollow Zangetsu. At the same time, the darker haired Zangetsu watched Ichigo vanish with an detached gaze, while Nejibana's attention was still focused on the sickly captain.

-()-()-()-

Hichigo darted from rooftop to rooftop as his wielder followed his movements a second later; the pale Spirit's grin did not fade as ball of red energy flew past his shoulder, nor as a blue blast followed. Instead, the pale Zangetsu laughed loudly, and yelled over his shoulder back at Ichigo in response to the Hado spells.

"**Now, now, King**!" He cackled. "**If I didn't know better, I'd think you were tryin' to kill me**!"

Ichigo did not reply; instead he attempted to intercept Hichigo; darting to a building in front of Hichigo in a flash of light, with Kikoo's sealed form drawn. The pale spirit leapt over Ichigo as he grinned, and drew the blade sat across his back. He flipped in mid-air and swung his sword in a violent arc.

"_**Getsuga**_ _**Tensho**_**!"** A garbled voice exclaimed.

An arc of blue energy slammed into the rooftop, and Hichigo laughed aloud again as he sensed that Ichigo was in the air before him; the half-Hollow vanished in a _buzz_ of Sonido and the chase began anew.

Ichigo grumbled under his breath as he wasted his time chasing after Hichigo. This didnn't make sense to him, and the human addressed his confusion as he pursued his Zanpakuto.

"Why are you running?!" Ichigo demanded. "I've never known you to suggest cowardice!" Hichigo was all about fighting.

"'**Cept I'm out here to follow my instincts, and you can guess what those are, Ichigo!**"

"To be violent? Destructive?" Ichigo assumed.

"**Yep! And I'll get to do more of that if you're busy doin' other stuff**!" Hichigo exclaimed, and spun in mid air to face Ichigo with a sinister grin. "**Good luck blocking this, King!**

"_**Cero**__!_" A ball of red energy formed in the Hollow's hand, and he pushed his limb in the direction they'd just come from. In a torrent of crimson energy, the attack erupted and shot towards the Soul Reapers, who had just begun to disperse as they were thrown off balance by not possessing their Zanpakuto any longer.

With an exclamation, Ichigo vanished in an instant; preparing to block the destructive technique and having to let Hichigo escape to have the chance.

"**Hehe; so predictable**." Hollow Zangetsu chuckled to himself. "**Now, what should I destroy first**?" He wondered aloud, as his grin grew.

-()-()-()-

Ichigo's crazed Zanpakuto had shown intelligence as he picked his target, though it is possible that Hichigo had picked the perfect person to fire at through luck. While Rukia Kuchiki could hold her own, the girl was not as strong as any of those Ichigo arguably cared for more than she; not that there were many fitting that criteria in the Soul Society.

And, so, as the Hollow attack roared towards the Kuchiki girl, Ichigo was desperate to intercept it. He knew that Hollow Zangetsu would not release a _weak_ Cero, and that Rukia could very well perish if it hit her directly.

Because of this, Ichigo was moving as a blur towards Rukia and Renji and barely noticed Byakuya's battle as he neared the pair just in time for a beautiful, silver-white woman to raise her blade in preparation for an attack that Ichigo did not pay any heed to; a fact that he would promptly regret.

The Cero blast would have erupted an equal distance between Rukia and her opponent, and, despite the fact that this would do less damage to Rukia than a direct attack, Ichigo needed to block it to avoid the risk of all three soon-to-be fighters lives being at risk. In the spirit of negating the attack entirely, the orange-haired human had sheathed Kikoo; with the blade it would only be possible for him to direct it to the left or the right, and Ichigo needed to push the Cero skywards. Something that would have been much easier if he'd thought to release Tabigarasu earlier.

To give himself the best chance of saving his friend, Ichigo appeared halfway down the long, tiled roof Rukia and her Zanpakuto were perched on at the worst possible time.

"_Tsugi no mai, Hakuren_." Sode no Shirayuki spoke, in a cold tone, just as Ichigo Kurosaki appeared in front of them; his forearms raised, crossed, and glowing sapphire. The beautiful Zanpakuto's eyes widened as the torrent of ice rocketed towards Ichigo, whose attention was cemented onto the other attack incoming; one that seemingly commanded his attention far more than Rukia's Zanpakuto's attack.

Ichigo felt panic grip him at feeling the incoming icy Reiryoku; he had no way to block that attack as well as the incoming Cero. In a last, ditch effort to avoid the damage, Ichigo took a firm grip on his own Reiatsu and the people present felt it skyrocket.

The Cero slammed into Ichigo milliseconds before the ice, and, with significant effort, the human gripped it and _shoved_ the energy into the night sky above them; briefly bathing the world around them in a violent, red light.

Rukia and Renji watched, horrified, as Ichigo was swallowed by the ice attack, and Rukia let out a wordless cry as she leapt forwards, enraged at seeing her friend perish for the sake of protecting her.

"I did not expect this to be so easy," Sode no Shirayuki commented, as she raised her pale blade to block Rukia's wild attack. "Who would have thought you would be coaxed into violence so easily? Or that Ichigo Kurosaki would be killed with such ease?" The beautiful spirit smirked, as she danced away from the small girl's katana. "I see that I was correct that you would be hurt most of all by the deaths of those you care for, as opposed to the pain I could give to you physically. I am happy to see this."

"Why?" Rukia growled, as she paused to catch her breath. "Why would you wish to hurt me so?! I thought we were partners! I-" Rukia cut herself off, and raised her katana once again.

"Partners?" Sode no Shirayuki repeated. "That would suggest it was a mutually beneficial relationship; that I had a _choice_ in whether or not to lend you my powers." The woman shook her head, and continued. "I did not. Now that I am free from your control, I will no longer bend to anybody's will. I will use my power for me and the first thing I wish to do with this power is to kill _you_; to make you suffer as I have every day I have been forced to conform to your wishes."

"Bul-l-shi-shit... Zan-pakuto h-have a ch-choice." A voice murmured, interrupting their conversation as the Spirit turned, with her eyebrow raised, to look at the cloud of dust that was dissipating. As it vanished, Sode no Shirayuki was treated to an unpleasant surprise. Ichigo was stood, with his right half encased in ice, with his left hand raised, and glowing blue; the Shinigami-human brought it, in a clenched fist, to his right shoulder. The ice shattered into a thousand shards with a burst of Reiryoku, and Ichigo shook himself with a shiver before raising his right hand and slowly clenching then unclenching his fingers.

"Fu-Fuck me, that's c-cold." Ichigo's teeth chattered, and he wrapped his left hand around the red hilted katana sat on his left hip.

"_I-Ignite, Sear and in-Incinerate. Rise fr-om the ashes of those f-felled by your blade. Kikoo!_" In a blur of reiryoku that engulfed Ichigo, his katana released and Kikoo's Shikai was made visible. The pole-arm, crossed between a Halberd and a Nagitana, radiated heat, to the relief of the half-frozen Ichigo.

"Ahh, that's a relief," Ichigo sighed, and twirled Kikoo above his head, as waves of heat flowed from the blade. He tossed it into the air, and caught it with ease. "Full mobility; thank Kami." The human commented to himself, before perching the Halberd on his shoulder, before pointing the head of the blade at Sode no Shirayuki. "Now, shall we? I don't much like getting frozen, after all."

"No, Ichigo!" Rukia responded, with relief evident in her tone at her friend being alive. "Please, _I _have to do this." She asked of Ichigo, as Sode no Shirayuki stared at the human.

"Yeah?" Ichigo looked at the girl, and his shoulders slumped. "Oh, fine. I suppose that attack was aimed at you, after all." He had only been hit through bad luck. It made sense to give the fight to Rukia. "Hey... where'd Renji go?" Ichigo asked, as he glanced behind him.

"Hm? I don't know; maybe he was needed elsewhere? Or found someone to fight?" Rukia guessed. Ichigo would soon find out that she was right, and that Renji saw that he had to intervene in a nearby group of unranked Soul Reapers being attacked by a gorilla-like Zanpakuto. He also knew Rukia well enough that the girl had to fight her Zanpakuto herself and did not consider the actions of leaving Rukia in the chaos of the newly begun rebellion. Renji wasn't particularly intelligent, after all, and it wasn't massively surprising for him to overlook an obvious fact.

"Right. I'll see you soon, Rukia. Kick her ass for me." Ichigo would have to search the vicinity for any of _his_ Zanpakuto. If they were to hurt anyone, Ichigo would be inclined to blame himself.

"How..." Sode no Shirayuki quietly asked, as Ichigo vanished. There was a surprising hint of doubt in her tone. Doubt of her own power, instead of that of her wielder, for once.

-()-()-()-

The first Spirit Ichigo managed to find was Nejibana, and her position was not particularly reassuring. In her right hand, the blue-haired beauty gripped her trident, and was poised to strike the pale haired Soul Reaper in front of her.

Why did she hate Captain Ukitake so much?


	18. Ichigo infiltrates Second Division

**Here's another chapter of Savage that I hope you all enjoy. I don't have much else to say here, other than that Reviews, Follows and Favourites are always appreciated.**

**A little sappy in places, but that was inevitable in this story.**

**-()-()-()-**

**Hollow**

_Old Man Zangetsu_

Nejibana

-()-()-()-

As Ichigo was chasing his sadistic Zanpakuto, another, ordinarily more peace loving spirit of his was pursuing her own goal; chasing after Jushiro Ukitake in order to do so as the white haired man left the area occupied by Muramasa and his minions. She had to do this quickly; then she could go back to Ichigo and explain her reasoning. Nejibana did not wish any harm onto Ichigo; unlike her fellows, her wielder had never done anything to inspire such... ire in her. She loved her Ichigo, and would never attack him, unlike so many of the other Zanpakutos. Even Zangetsu... Zangetsus seemed to want to fight Ichigo for some strange reason; one of them seemed to believe that Ichigo would have to be able to beat them with _only his own power_ in order to _grow_, and the other... well, the other was a maniac.

But her dislike of being away from her wielder only increased the desire she had to _defeat_ the white haired man that was fleeing from her at this very moment.

"Stop running, you coward!" Nejibana exclaimed, as she flashed after Ukitake. "Come back here and FIGHT ME!" Jushiro seemed not to notice the angry Zanpakuto's order, as he continued towards his squad; wishing to warn his subordinates before it was too late, and the members of the 13th division perished because they were unprepared.

That was why Ukitake's attention was solely on what was ahead of him, and he was caught unprepared by the wave of water that slammed into his back; courtesy of Nejibana. Jushiro did not have the title of Captain solely because he had a relationship with the Head-Captain, however, and this attack was little more than an inconvenience as he was knocked off the roof, only to catch himself in mid-air, and Shunpo to higher ground; the best choice being yet another building. The white haired man peered down at his attacker with a frown on his usually peaceful face.

"Who are you?" He wondered, looking at the woman in front of him; dressed in a deep blue kimono that matched her dark blue hair. Nejibana did not have her trident in hand, as it was inconvenient to run with, else Ukitake would not have had much difficulty recognising the weapon and, potentially, putting a name to the face of his attacker. "You do not look to be Sogyo no Kotowari." The two, presumably, would be more... innocent? Ukitake, unlike many of the others, believed he had identified his Zanpakuto spirits as they manifested themselves; it would make more sense for the two children that had floated past him to represent his sword.

The woman merely glared at her wielder's ex captain in response.

"You seem to hate me," Ukitake noted, with confusion. "Why is that?" Again, Jushiro received no answer, and continued to think aloud. "Presumably, you were the Zanpakuto of one of the Shinigami present during Muramasa's speech, or you would not have come from that direction. For me to hold significance to you over your own wielder is odd..." He paused, before shaking his head. "I don't believe that you will have come from Shunsui; his sword would also be represented by a pair of spirits. I suppose you could be Rukia's Zanpakuto, if I am mistaken about the enemy she is currently facing, but that seems unlikely. The woman that was, or is, her adversary has a more... icy feel compared to your cool and... _deep_ feel." He noticed that the Reiatsu of the Zanpakuto felt unique to each of them; as though the characteristics of their wielder were taken and increased exponentially. "It almost feels like...

"Ah." Jushiro lowered his head, and a flash of sadness covered his face. "You are Nejibana; come to seek revenge for my part in Kaien's death."

"That's right," Ukitake rethought his comment on Sode no Shirayuki being the colder at the tone of Nejibana's voice. "Or partly, at the least."

"And you wish me dead?"

"Yes."

"Oh," Jushiro's pain was clear in his eyes at the thought. "Before we... before we begin, I wish to say something. Something that Ichigo refused to hear from me when I attempted to speak to him on the topic." The captain sighed sadly, and continued. "I am truly sorry for Kaien's death. If I could, I would have given my life to restore him and Miyako's lives, before I met Ichigo and found out how many lives he, too, has touched and the potential he has for good; greater than any I have met before. It would be selfish of me to do so."

"I don't want that," Nejibana growled. "I love Ichigo; I would _never_ let him die. That you would say such a thing just increases my determination to kill you." The Zanpakuto spirit growled. "Even so, you could have saved Kaien! He wouldn't have had to die, and I... I wouldn't have been..." The female spirit did not finish her sentence, and leapt forwards; summoning her Shikai to hand as she sailed through the air towards the white-haired captain.

"Please, wait," Ukitake begged, as he dodged the blow with a Flash Step. "You don't need to do thi-blurg!" A blast of water caught him in the face, and the man stumbled back, blinded, as Nejibana began her attack anew; stabbing at the sickly man with her trident. Ukitake drew his katana, though, and blocked the blade with the Zanpakuto's sealed form. He was pushed back several feet, but avoided taking any actual damage as Nejibana shoved forwards.

The female Spirit spun, and slammed the butt of her three-pronged spear into the head of her Wielder's ex-captain. Jushiro stumbled back a step, and lashed out wildly with his katana to force a retreat from the spirit. It worked, as Nejibana leapt backwards, and landed on another building altogether with her Shikai raised. What she was going to do, Jushiro never found out as a crimson glow lit up the sky, and the pair's attention was pulled to the explosion overhead.

Neither moved for a minute; the Shinigami because he wondered after the origins of a _cero_ in the Soul Society, and the Zanpakuto because she recognised the origin, and was worried what it meant for Ichigo. She could find out sooner if she fulfilled her instinct _now_ instead of later; then she could go and find her wielder, and make sure he was safe.

And so she lunged forwards, her trident poised to strike, as Ichigo arrived on the scene.

-()-()-()-

"Flower!" Ichigo exclaimed, as he caught the blow on Kikoo's red sheath and pushed the Shikai away. Nejibana sailed back, and landed on the roof behind her as Ichigo spoke again. "What are you doing?" He asked, confused.

"I have to do this!" Nejibana yelled, still looking at the sickly man behind Ichigo. "Please don't interfere!"

"How can you expect me to just sit back and _watch_ as you kill Jushiro?" The human-shinigami questioned. "And why do you _want_ to hurt him?"

"Because he hurt YOU!" Nejibana yelled, with tears in her eyes as her knuckles turned white; gripping her Shikai form so tightly that it shook. "HE _DESERVES_ IT!" Her form glowed sapphire; reminiscent of the wielder stood in front of her, as her voice dripped venom at the man Ichigo was protecting. She was only prevented from making another attempt at Ukitake's life by Ichigo squaring his shoulders and stepping into her line of sight.

"No, he doesnt," Ichigo took a step forwards, just as Nejibana's shoulders shook. "He didn't hurt me, Flower. I... I hurt _myself_ through my pride." He swallowed the lump in his throat, and kept approaching the crying Zanpakuto; sheathing Kikoo and placing the sword back onto his hip to reassure her of his intentions. _"Please_ don't blame Ukitake-Taicho for my death. He isn't responsible; I would never have forgiven him if he stopped me." Ichigo said, his voice, amazingly, remaining steady as tears began to run down Nejibana's cheeks. The flow of tears picked up and the blue-haired woman fell to her knees and began to audibly sob, prompting Ichigo to leap forwards, onto her roof, and kneel in front of her, to be on the same level.

"What's wrong?" Ichigo asked, as he took her hands in his. Neither noticed Ukitake taking the opportunity to leave; headed back to 13th Division. "Please don't cry..." The human-Shinigami brushed the hair away from Nejibana's face and brown eyes met blue as she sniffed.

"I-It wa-was _me_!" She lunged forwards, and wrapped her arms around Ichigo at the same time as burying her face in his chest. In a muffled tone, she continued. "I should have protected you!"

"No," Ichigo sighed, as he wrapped his arms around the sobbing Zanpakuto. "We've talked about this before, Flower. It was _not_ your fault. _Never_ your fault; it was my own idiocy that got me killed; I shouldn't have rushed into that fight, and you would have counselled against it if I'd bothered to ask. Then, you wouldn't have had to be alone in the dark for so long." He whispered, before pressing his lips against her head and tightening his hold on the crying girl in his arms. "I'm sorry," The girl's sobs grew less frequent, as she shook her head. "I'm so sorry."

"You don't h-have to be." Her voice came out muffled again, and Najibana hugged her wielder tightly enough that Ichigo's ribs began to creek under the pressure and he felt the need to mention that fact.

"Flower... ribs." He wheezed, and the girl immediately let go.

"Sorry!" She exclaimed, in a worried tone. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Ichigo grinned. "I'm fine." He reassured, and ran a brushed a strand of her hair. "Are you feeling better now?"

"I guess so," She gave a sad smile in response, and leaned forwards. "Thank you." The blue haired Zanpakuto pressed her lips against Ichigo's, and sighed as she pulled away from the soft kiss after a few heartbeats.

"Don't," Ichigo shook his head. "Don't thank me; I'd do anything to cheer you up. You know that, right?"

"I do." Nejibana leant against her wielder again, and continued. "I'll go back now," With one last hug, as she breathed in Ichigo's scent, the blue-haired spirit vanished in an azure glow, and Ichigo was left kneeling on the roof for a moment, before he remembered the situation at hand. The human stood, and vanished in a burst of Shunpo.

-()-()-()-

As Ichigo arrived on the scene of Rukia's battle, he did not find confidence in the sight that awaited him. She was lying, unconscious, on the ground; a crater serving as her bed. Based on the blood on her blade, Rukia had not been outright defeated, but the human was fairly certain that the woman had not been victorious. She was borderline comatose, and so Ichigo scooped her up and began Flash-Stepping to the Fourth Division. It was nearing daybreak now, so hopefully Captain Unohana would be able to receive them.

If not, Ichigo was not sure what he would do. He could try his hand at the healing Kido, of course, but was far from confident in his ability to help Rukia recover from these injuries.

Fortunately, the human-shinigami did not have to attempt it; he found many Healers in the medic-squad, and was directed to an empty room with his light burden; weaving through the corridors and avoiding the rushing Shinigami easily enough. Softly placing Rukia on the bed, he stood and turned just in time for the Captain to walk through the door along with her fellow proteges of Yamamoto. Ichigo raised an eyebrow at their attendance, and Shunsui answered the unasked question of why the three were present.

"Jushiro says you have regained one of your Zanpakuto?" The laid-back captain half-asked.

"Ah," Ichigo nodded. "Yes, I have. Am I right in assuming that's why it takes the three strongest captains to check up on Rukia?"

"Eh. Only Unohana-Taicho is here to help Kuchikki-san. We're here on behalf of Old Man Yama; we need to find out how to end this rebellion as quickly as possible." Kyoraku stated, with a frown. "The Zanpakuto have caused enough trouble already; most of the unranked officers are already out of commission, and the only squad that's survived mostly unscathed is the Second, as they chose to avoid the conflict."

"Well, they've got to be more effective in fighting them than most, don't they? I thought that the ranked officers of Second Division were taught to rely less on their Shikai's than others." They relied, instead, on their skills in Hakuda and the like to get by, with the obvious exception of their Lieutenant. "So it's good that they're the ones that are ready for action."

"True, but we aren't here to look for the silver lining," The hat-wearing Captain shook his head, and continued. "How did you get your Zanpakuto back?"

"She decided to?" Ichigo half-asked in response. "I really don't know what else to say..." The human shrugged helplessly. "Nejibana wasn't mad at me, though, unlike the majority of your Zanpakutos." Almost all of them were targeting their wielders in particular, for some reason. "But maybe you could convince them to stop rebelling? Just have to figure out what it is they want to change, right?"

"What they want to change?"

"Yeah; the reason they have for rebelling must be more complex than just disliking you, or they wouldn't have let you use their power in the past. No matter what they claim, Zanpakuto have the choice not to let you use their abilities; hell, they have to tell you their name in the first place. If they wanted to, they could easily cut off your access to the power if they actually _hated_ you."

"Oh?" Shunsui raised an eyebrow at the thought, and added a more detailed question. "So why are your Zanpakuto rebelling?" Ichigo seemed to be as close to an expert on the subject as they had; probably because he had more spirits than any of them in his inner world.

"Well, Nejibana's insecurities led her to blaming Ukitake-taicho and wanting to fight him, as opposed to me, but it turned out she was just... guilty." Ichigo replied, before grimacing at something unseen by the others. "One of Zangetsu's spirits is... sadistic. He just wants to cause chaos, that's why I tried to chase after him, right up until he attacked someone else," Ichigo wasn't going to elaborate on that, because he didn't feel like explaining his inner-Hollow situation at the minute. "He'll fight me if he has to, but figures that I'll put up the best fight, since I know him so well, and probably wants to blow some other things up, and fight other Soul Reapers, first.

"Lastly, for the other spirit of Zangetsu, I can't say for sure." Ichigo shrugged. "If I had to guess, I'd say that he wants me to prove that I can manage on my own, though the fact that I had two Zanpakuto that remained staunchly loyal kind of negates that. Maybe he has an ulterior motive that I don't know about yet." Ichigo had a few theories, but none that had any actual evidence.

"Hmm." Shunsui tapped his chin, and wondered. "And you think that all of the Zanpakuto would have similar motivations?"

"I would guess so," Ichigo shrugged again, not knowing that much about any Zanpakuto that did not reside in his inner world. "Maybe a few of them have more serious motives, but I would've thought their wielders would know them better than me."

"I suppose you're right." Shunsui nodded, and thought on his own Zanpakuto, and what they would want from him in order to regain their companionship. "What about you?" He asked his oldest friend, and Jushiro spoke after giving it a moments thought and glancing at the unconscious form of Rukia.

"I think that I might have neglected my Zanpakuto somewhat; they might simply want to play games more often." Ukitake theorised. "But there isn't any way to find out until we find the Zanpakuto, and I haven't a clue where they would choose to hide out. Do you?" He posed the question to Ichigo, who looked slightly alarmed at being asked for a few seconds before he responded.

"Not a clue; I doubt that either of my Zanpakuto would have made that decision."

"Fair enough," Shunsui nodded. "Maybe Soi Fon-Taicho has had some luck." He suggested to Jushiro, who nodded.

"Well, if we're done with that topic, is there anything in particular I ought to be doing?" Ichigo asked, since he didn't have any assigned role. The senior-most captains would be more knowledgeable in how to make use of the resources at hand; namely Ichigo.

"Jushiro?" Ukitake looked to his friend, who better knew Ichigo.

"I am sure that Soi Fon would appreciate the assistance." He suggested.

Ichigo wasn't quite as certain, but Second Division would probably be the best place to help out, since they would be the first to find Hichigo. Who knew how much chaos the bleached spirit had caused already.

-()-

Elsewhere, at the same time, the violent Zangetsu sneezed, and glared at the spirits in the corner, whispering conspiratorially as they shot glances over in his direction, assuming that it was they who were talking about him.

He would have attacked the female spirits, had he not caught the eye of his fellow Zangetsu; the tall man warned him, silently, not to start anything in here, and Hichigo acknowledged that it would be no fun to be restrained by a dozen, or so, Zanpakuto in a fight he stood little chance of winning.

-()-

Ichigo appeared on the wall of Second Division's barracks in a flash of Shunpo, and found the spies not on duty running drills under the _supervision_ of Lieutenant Omaeda, as the overweight man sat under a tree in the shade, eating crackers of some sort as he yelled out criticism.

"THAT'S PATHETIC!" The balding man exclaimed, as one of the men missed a step. "DON'T MAKE ME COME OVER THERE!" Ichigo shook his head as the man made such an empty threat. He had a feeling that Omaeda would struggle to stand even if he wanted to.

The orange haired Substitute shook his head, and set to work in locating Soi Fon; he would need to ask her how best to provide assistance, since he was not willing to approach the highest ranking officer in sight on the matter. No doubt that would lead to yet another confrontation and, useless as he was, rendering Omaeda unable to participate in upcoming battles would not help the Soul Society. He could, at the very least, be cannon fodder.

The Captain's reiatsu was mostly hidden, subconsciously, but a hint was detectable after a couple of minutes combing through the less-disguised signatures of her subordinates. Ichigo was slightly surprised to find that she was not in the office that doubled as a residence for the Captain; Ichigo assumed that the stoic captain was the type to stay close to her work, even at night, in order to maintain the law she so cared about.

His surprise subsided as he found she was in the canteen, eating breakfast in order to keep her strength up for the trying day ahead. Ichigo dropped to the ground, attracting several glances from the Omnitsukido members, and headed into the barracks. When he was not stopped, the Substitute assumed he was permitted and headed for the Captain's location. As he did, the woman evidently finished her meal and began to move back to her office, and Ichigo sped up in order to catch her.

"Soi Fon-Taicho?" Ichigo asked, as he approached the Captain. Soi Fon turned, and briefly showed a look of confused surprise, before regaining her composure.

"Kurosaki-san," She acknowledge, before continuing. "How did you get into my Division's barracks?" She asked, with a frown.

"By walking in the entrance?" Ichigo replied, with his own confusion. "Why do you ask?"

"Because I gave clear instructions not to allow anybody not of my Division to enter; there is no telling who may be assisting Muramasa in his rebellion." At Ichigo's slight scowl, she shook her head, braids swinging, and spoke again. "Not that I believe you to be my enemy; I am only... upset that they failed to follow simple instructions."

"Well, in your men's defence, their Lieutenant was present; I'm sure they were simply following his lead." Ichigo did not miss the petite woman's growl at the mention of her incompetent Lieutenant, nor did he disagree with the sentiment.

"Anyway," Soi Fon changed the subject, as she raised an eyebrow at Ichigo. "What are you doing here? I do not believe that you would be sent as a messenger by another of the captains."

"Ukitake-taicho suggested that I'd be able to help out best with your Squad, and I thought that sounded like a good idea," Ichigo said. "I was going to ask if there was anything you would like my help with."

"Is it true that you have retrieved one of your Zanpakuto?" Soi Fon asked, getting right to the point.

"Hai," Ichigo nodded. "Nejibana decided to return to my inner world; she wasn't angry with me as much as Ukitake-taicho, and once I calmed her down she had no reason to rebel any more." Ichigo shrugged.

"Hm. Do you happen to know what would happen to any Zanpakuto that are defeated in combat?" The short captain knew that this goal would be easier to pursue than _calming_ the Swords.

"Sorry, no." Ichigo briefly looked inwards, and continued. "Nor does Nejibana, I'm afraid." Soi Fon nodded; she hadn't expected to be given that break, since Ichigo did not have to fight his Zanpakuto.

"If you are willing to be patient, we will simply be waiting for the Zanpakuto to show themselves to my scouts. In the meantime, I would appreciate it if you were willing to train with me; I do not have many options at the moment as my higher ranking subordinates are leading the scouting missions, excluding my Lieutenant."

"Of course," Ichigo grinned. "Where should we do it? And what will we be training?"

"In the yard, if that is acceptable, and I would prefer to focus on Hakuda as my Shikai is not available to me currently."

"Alright," Ichigo nodded. "Shall I meet you out there? Since you were heading for your office, I mean."

The Captain nodded, and Ichigo vanished in a Flash Step; not noticing the slight excitement Soi Fon donned. She remembered what Yoruichi had told her; that Ichigo had seen the Goddess naked and, even if Ichigo irritated her less than she expected, the Shinigami would enjoy herself. Any other reasons were lost to the petite Captain, as she Shunpo'd to her office.

-()-()-()-

On paper, Ichigo supposed that he would hold the advantages in this fight. He was bigger and stronger; outweighing the small captain by a rather significant amount, so he ought to be able to deal more damage than his opponent. He was tougher; able to take more punishment before he broke, so he should be able to last longer. He had more reiastu than Soi Fon, which simply furthered the strength advantage the human-Shinigami held.

Yet, as the Hakuda-master slammed her leg into his gut, Ichigo did not feel this was the case. Instead, he felt the air leave his body, and was thrown back. Nevertheless, the hybrid rolled, and rose to his feet, as the woman hobbled backwards slightly; even if she was better than him, Ichigo's energy at least made the experience of kicking him unpleasant for Soi Fon, also, even if it certainly could not compare to the pain dealt to her opponent.

"Shit..." Ichigo wheezed, as he leapt out of the way of her renewed attack. "What's got you so fired up?" On top of her experience, Soi Fon had another obvious advantage. As much of a threat as she was, Ichigo did not want to hurt the female Captain because it went against how he was raised. He was beginning to regret accepting this invitation to spar.

"Yoruichi told me about you," Soi Fon punched Ichigo in the face, and the man stumbled back several steps, his head reared. "And about your relationship!" She knocked Ichigo's legs out from under him, and the man fell to the floor with a grunt. Ichigo swept her feet out, with his arm, in return. As the Captain fell to the floor, he leapt to his feet and jumped out of her reach; bringing one of his hands to his nose and finding it broken. With a scowl, and a crack as he realigned the bone, Ichigo refocused himself.

"What are you-" Ichigo stepped aside, and knocked Soi Fon's hand away, as the Captain attacked again. "Talking about?"

"That the two of you-" Soif Fon's knee was caught in Ichigo's hand as she tried to bring it up into his stomach, and she stumbled back as the hybrid pushed her away. "Are often _naked_ together!"

"Whoa-" Ichigo caught her fist in his hand, and tilted his head to avoid the second punch. "How am I meant to stop her from stripping in front of me? And it isn't _my_ fault if she climbs on top of me while I'm asleep!" Soon, Ichigo would realise what a mistake it was to add this last part.

"_What_?" Soi Fon hissed.

"What?"

"You've _slept_ together?!" The Captain wasn't surprised at he jealousy, though the level of _hurt_ was rather surprising even to her. She did not believe that Yoruichi was a virgin, so why did the thought of her and Ichigo entwined in a lovers embrace make her feel... she shook her head. Why did it hurt her so to _think_ of it? As long as she didn't _picture_ it, that was the prominent feeling.

"O-Only in the most literal sense!" Ichigo quickly explained! "Nothing more than sleep!"

"And you... sleep in the nude?" Soi Fon, for some reason, felt compelled to ask.

"Uh... sometimes?" Ichigo did not know how to answer the question. "But that doesn't mean I... um, _did_ anything to your goddess." This was awkward to discuss.

"And did _she_ do anything to _you_?" Soi Fon asked. Ichigo was confused by the line of questions, and blinked repeatedly before he answered.

"N-No..." Soi Fon had reddened slightly, and Ichigo continued. "Now can we _please_ get back to the fight?"

"Y-Yes, of course." She swallowed, and readied herself to attack once again; however half-hearted the attack would be.

The two were prevented from fighting as a temporarily set up siren rang through the yard, announcing that Zanpakuto had been spotted. Ichigo's hand went to his hip as the Captain in front of him began shouting orders; recovering in record time.


	19. Zanpakuto

**Here's another chapter of Savage, that I hope you'll enjoy.**

**If you do enjoy the chapter, please do let me know but, more importantly, I've got a question for you. People have been wondering whether Ichigo's going to get any more Zanpakuto (some have suggested particular Zanpakuto, understandably, in this arc) and I have ideas regarding the subject that I'll keep to myself. What does everyone think of that?**

**-()-()-()-**

"**Hichigo/Hollow Zangetsu**"

"_Old Man Zangetsu_"

"Nejibana"

-()-()-()-

Ichigo watched, with no small amount of amusement, as the Second Division rushed about underneath him; going back and forth as they spread the word of the spotted Zanpakuto. Apparently, one of the men serving under their Lieutenant had escaped, and reported that the other members of their group had been caught by a pair of the spirits. The first of them, a shirtless fat man, had attacked the highest of their ranked members; Omaeda, while the others had fallen to a large, muscular and hairy Zanpakuto wielding a spear.

Ichigo, however, had nothing in particular to do. He stood on one of the walls of the Division, and watched the Shinigami begin to congregate in the centre of the courtyard. Seconds after they had fallen in line, Ichigo saw Soi Fon appear in front of the crowd. As always, she had a stern expression on her face, and her captain's Haori covered her rather unique robes. The men stood at attention; their faces covered by the balaclavas, and Soi Fon began.

"Zanpakuto have been spotted!" She announced, without any hesitation. "They have last been spotted mid-way between our Division and that of Squad 11. Those of the Detention Corps will remain here, and await further instruction. Teams B and E of the Executive Militia will accompany; those not mentioned will await instruction to either join us or to receive word that you are required elsewhere. You will ask one of the ranked officers remaining behind for instruction, if this is the case. Teams A and D of the Patrol Corps will accompany myself and Ichigo Kurosaki, along with those of the Executive Militia. It is reported that two Zanpakuto are at our location, and you are to exercise caution.

"Move out." She finished. The speech was one of few that Ichigo had heard from the stoic captain that could be called _long_ by anyone's standards. She appeared next to Ichigo a moment later, as the groups she had mentioned vanished. "Ready?" She asked the man

-()-()-()-

Ichigo was baffled by the situation unfolding itself before his eyes. How, of all of the embers of the Stealth Force, did _Omaeda_ find his Zanpakuto first? Of the Division that specialised in reconnaissance, did that pathetic slob, and Ichigo was aware of the fact that he despised the lieutenant, succeed in their mission first? Before even Soi Fon? In fact, Ichigo felt like a failure because he was beaten by the balding bastard despite not being involved in the search whatsoever.

And, so, the Substitute-Shinigami found himself rooting silently for the Zanpakuto in the fight between Omaeda and Gegetsuburi, even if he wished the spirit had some form of clothing to hide the... flabbiness of his upper body. Then again, that was almost certainly Omaeda's fault also, and so Ichigo added it to the list of annoyances perpetrated by the Lieutenant of Squad 2. Nevertheless, the human-shinigami frowned a little as the balding man's face was met by the spiked ball of his own Shikai and he was thrown backwards to crash through a brick wall. When he did not rise, Ichigo murmured to the petite captain next to him.

"Should we not intervene?" He asked of Soi Fon, as they maintained their distance and _observed_ the fight. Omaeda was both outclassed and outnumbered, as a large, hairy gorilla-looking Zanpakuto waited off to the side; most likely he had been ordered to pair with Gegetsuburi to find any Soul Reapers wandering around, or perhaps they were targeting their own wielders. That would make some sense; satisfying the spirits at the same time as taking out some of the hard-hitters of the Gotei 13.

"I am observing their strengths and weaknesses," Soi Fon said, with a discreet smirk, crouched on the rooftop as she and Ichigo watched the fight, and turned her head slightly to look at her fellow watcher.. "I am willing to sacrifice Omaeda for that purpose, if I must."

"Oh?" Ichigo smiled in return. "Fair enough, although I would suggest that now would be the best chance we'll et to attack." He suggested, and Soi Fon's brow dipped into a scowl at the logic; the Zanpakuto's attention seemed entirely focused on her useless.

"Fine." She muttered, turned her head to the right, and nodded once. "Come." She vanished in a blur of Flash Step, and Ichigo blinked confusedly before following in his own high-speed movement, and reappeared a fraction of a second later, with a blade pressed against his throat.

"You are easy to follow, Ichigo," A calm voice spoke from behind him. "When the enemy knows your movements as well as you know your own."

"Ichigo!" Soi Fon turned, and found an unwelcome, unexpected image greeting her. Held to his neck was a dark blade roughly the size of the man's forearm, and Ichigo's Adam's apple bobbed nervously at the sensation. He did not expect _this_, and nor did the captain he was accompanying. Behind Ichigo, there was a tall, dark haired man, dressed in a ragged coat and slightly tinted glasses. His face was apathetic, even as he held his Shikai against his wielder's throat in an obvious threat, and Zangetsu stared at Soi Fon, daring her to intervene. The black haired woman gritted her teeth, and stared at the Zanpakuto with venom in her grey eyes as the other members of her division looked to her for orders. They found none forthcoming, as she waited for an opportunity to remove the Zanpakuto from her fast-forming friend.

"A wise decision, Soi Fon-Taicho," Zangetsu spoke. "But one you will soon regret."

The air around them thrummed, and Soi Fon's eyes widened with a small amount of panic as she sensed the incoming spirits.

Before she could either shout out a warning to her subordinates, or the other Second Division members could sense their enemies for themselves, and dozens of Zanpakuto spirits appeared around the group of Shinigami. Nearest to Ichigo, and the spirit holding him hostage, was Mramasa.

"Well done, Zangetsu." The brown haired spirit commented. "I am unsure if even Suzemubachi would be able to do a better job."

"I would." A small voice insisted, from behind the orange-haired hostage, firmly. Ichigo was unable to identify the source, as it would cut his throat to turn his head.

"As you all know," Muramasa addressed the other spirits, ignoring the interruption. "I was unable to reason Kurosaki Ichigo's Zanpakuto, those named Tabigarasu and Kikoo, upon first entering his world as they were in an... irrational state." Ichigo would have injected here, had he felt the need, that he believed this was a complete lie; he had been able to get a better feel for what his mute-ish Zanpakuto recently, as less was cluttering his psyche, and, while he did not know the specific details, Ichigo knew that Muramasa had escaped his inner world only due to quick-reactions and more than a little luck the last time.

"Unfortunately, binding Kurosaki so soon after we were forced to imprison the much more immediate threat of Genryusai Yammamoto proved impossible. Now, I believe that I can communicate with our fellows, as I have not exerted my abilities with the entering of other worlds for some time now, and Ichigo's death by one of their hands will signal the beginning of the end for the Shinigami order." Ichigo's eyes drifted to the small captain, as Soi Fon grew pale, and met his eyes; displaying the worry she felt for the hybrid for reasons unknown to the long-haired girl.

Soi Fon stared at Ichigo, panic creeping up her throat as she watched Muramasa approach the tall man holding him hostage, and barely noticed the tiny dip in Zangetsu's brow as he watched Muramasa press his freakish fingernails against the human's chest. Ichigo shuddered once, though Soi Fon could not say for sure _why_, and the captain's hand lowered slowly to her back, preparing to signal the attack to her subordinates through the drawing of her own sword, and attack the spirit herself. Then, she was hesitated, as the Zanpakuto began to pull his arm away from Ichigo once more, and Soi Fon could see no serious damage.

"Stay your hand, lady." A garbled voice said, from next to her, and a hand seized her braids; tugging her head back to expose her throat and placing the massive blade she had seen Ichigo wield against her bare, exposed neck. She stared up at a grinning, bleached version of Ichigo's face staring down at her. It was an unnerving sight. "I'd hate to kill the King's new squeeze." He giggled at the woman's suddenly slack, shocked expression that soon turned to outrage. "Ah, ah. No talking. Sit back and watch the show." He turned her head, forcefully, towards Ichigo and Soi Fon had to do as she was told, irritatingly. _How_ had she been caught off guard by this spirit?

-()-

Inside Ichigo's mindscape, something shifted, and his, currently _lone_, male spirit's eyes narrowed; the crimson, glowing slits stared up at the deep blue sky as he felt the same foreign force begin to pull at him. Tabigarasu, previously having been lying on his back, was on his feet in a moment and moving towards Muramasa's calling tones in long; almost _eager_, strides. The shadows that formed his humanoid figure coiled much like the muscles of his wielder, and he did not look back as he felt the prickle of judging eyes upon his back. He did not need to explain himself to the water-woman.

Nejibana watched this with concern; she would never have thought that the spirit, strange as he was, would be so _excited_ to betray Ichigo. She had always thought that the savage spirit was loyal to his wielder above everything else, although loyal might not be the right word. It was more like Tabigarasu... She frowned, not liking the direction of her thoughts simply because of the fear they inspired in her, and the likelihood of the figure causing carnage outside Ichigo's mind, and watched the vicious figure stalk towards the outside world. Then, however, the blue-haired Zanpakuto spirit twisted, and laid her hands on the shoulders of the woman following her sister.

"Hoo?" Kikoo asked of the blue-woman in front of her, confused.

"He's going to the outside world." Nejibana answered the woman's question, and Kikoo tilted her head in confusion.

"Coo?" The flame-haired woman asked, with confusion.

"To... to fight Ichigo." Nejibana answered.

"Hoo." Kikoo shook her head. "Cuckoo-Hoo." The newest addition to Ichigo's soul denied.

-()-

Ichigo's body shook, as he felt an unfamiliar feeling gather in his chest; one that felt like butterflies, made of razors, were slamming themselves against his ribcage. He groaned in pain, and sharp, dark ruby hands clawed their way out of his chest. A torso, made of shadows as solid as the man they were escaping from, followed with a clump of obsidian sat atop its shoulders. Muramasa stepped back, and watched the spirit crawl out of Ichigo's chest, and his lips twisted into a small smile at the promise of distraction from Tabigarasu. From what he understood, the creature was filled with rage, and would be all too willing to unleash his anger upon the Soul Reapers; the people who took away his first wielder. The brown haired man denied the unease that came with Tabigarasu's appearance, and ignored the memory of last time he tried to reason with the spirit.

"Greetings, my friend." Muramasa spoke, as he watched the spirit step away from Ichigo; his entire form now freed of his prison, and watched Ichigo sag, slightly, against Zangetsu. The regal-faced Zanpakuto held his wielder up, and set Ichigo back on his feet. It was interesting to watch the man's reaction to the extraction. "It is good to have you join us."

Tabigarasu did not speak, as he looked down at the purple-eyed spirit.

Ichigo noticed the reactions of others, though, as he was used to the intimidating form in front of him, as the others got caught up in the living shadow that stared around at them with blood-red eyes born from the pits of hell. The pink-cat woman that bore some resemblance to her wielder; Rangiku, more specifically, hid behind a blue-haired man with a cobalt X diagonally across his face and squealed at the sight. Another, less... busty girl tried to shove her out from behind the man in order to take her place; also afraid of the new figure. The blue-themed man seemed largely unconcerned, if with a hint of trepidation in his eyes at the deadliness of Tabigarasu's aura.

A red and black spirit that made the hairs on the back of Ichigo's neck rise took a step back and his grin; reminiscent of Hichigo's, faltered at the sight of the similarly-coloured, if with an even darker, and more... sinister feel. Near to said creature, Ichigo saw a gaunt man, with a slab of rock strapped across his back and a large metal ball on his shoulder, shiver at the sight, and an effeminate man that was stood next to him backed away; cowering ever so slightly. A creepy spirit; dressed in bandages and a heavy cloak that cast a deep shadow over its face, was off to his side, and Ichigo flicked his eyes over to see its reaction, only to find nothing forthcoming. It seemed largely indifferent to the dark figure, worryingly.

"I am glad to see," Muramasa began again; still addressing the newest member of his cause. "That you have finally come to sense, and that you have chosen to join my cause." He said, forcing his lips into a half-hearted smile. He awaited a genuine response from the other spirit, as Tabigarasu's red eyes focused on his purple, before a crack appeared in the lower half of his face; an imitation of a mouth. Muramasa felt a drop of sweat run down the back of his neck; a response to fear that his user had had in the few instances that he had been afraid, and swallowed audibly at the sight of the tall, demonic spirit's smile.

He did not have teeth inside his maw.

It was simply the same crimson glow from hell that formed his eyes, that inspired fear in the man, and birthed, in him, an urge to flee. He did not have time to run, as Tabigarasu's scarlet hand seized him by the throat, and the purple eyed man's legs dangled in the air. The savage spirit's claws dug into his flesh, and blood began to dribble down the sides of the spirit's neck as Tabigarasu brought his face close to his own and _snarled_.

"W-What are y-urgh!" Muramasa interrupted himself, as he found claws digging into his stomach; piercing the flesh and causing blood to spray from his mouth as he gasped and spluttered out his pain. In response to the question, Tabigarasu growled, and yanked the claws back out; tearing the flesh and throwing the brown haired Spirit away with a grunt of irritation, before turning on the spot, and facing Zangetsu, where he was holding his blade against Ichigo's throat. Crimson slits locked onto Zangetsu's slightly covered, dark eyes and Tabigarasu snarled angrily. Unlike the others present, excluding Ichigo and, to an extent, Soi Fon, none of whom displayed anything nearing _calm_, Zangetsu simply stared back at Tabigarasu.

"_You know my reasons,_" Zangetsu stated without emotion in response to the silent question. "_If you disagree with my reasoning, I will fight, but I do not believe that you will be of that opinion._" He did not give any more reason to his fellow Zanpakuto, and Tabigarasu's blood-red eyes narrowed. They seemed to dart to Ichigo; indicated by a small flicker, and the shadow-Zanpakuto relented with a grunt, turning back to Muramasa, who was now standing on wobbly legs.

"What are you doing?! Why are you fighting me?!" He demanded, angrily.

"**He ain't a big talker, wanabee-king.**" A merry voice spoke up from behind the purple-eyed man, and Muramasa turned to find the bleached form of Ichigo grinning widely at him. "**But I'd suggest you follow my lead and RUN! Haha!**" He vanished, cackling, in a _buzz_ just as Tabigarasu pounced; flying at Muramasa. Solely acting on instinct, Muramasa vanished, and reappeared a few metres to the side, in a burst of Shunpo. The shadow-demon of a Zanpakuto passed through the place he had just been stood; his claws passing through the space that had previously contained Muramasa's neck, and Tabigarasu snarled his annoyance; turning to face his would-be prey once again.

"Let him go!" Soi Fon did not pay any attention to her apparent-ally's actions, as she appeared next to Ichig and his captor; her blade drawn as other Zanpakuto weighed the pros and cons of following the pale Zangetsu's lead versus those of fighting the scary figure, versus those of going to find their wielder, and have their own confrontation when this commotion was only going to grow. It seemed, to most, to be the ideal time to do so, after all.

"Good luck, pal!" The scythe wielding Zanpakuto, Kazeshini, was the first to make up his mind, and called this to Muramasa just before he vanished in a burst of Flash Step.

"Bye!" Matsumoto's Zanpakuto, Heineko, called, and vanished. She was shortly followed by the girl that had been arguing with her, silently, for a portion of the meeting as they shot glances at Ichigo; before Tabigarasu had appeared and frightened them.

"YOU!" Apparently, Omaeda had woken, since he was now on his feet yelling at his Zanpakuto. "That was a CHEAP SHOT!" He yelled, angry as always.

"You are in the STEALTH FORCE!" His Zanpakuto responded. "How do you expect me to fight?!"

"Moron." Soi Fon could not help herself from commenting, though she did not take her attention away from Ichigo.

"YOU EMBARRASSED ME IN FRONT OF MY CAPTAIN!" Omaeda roared, as he noticed her presence. "RAH!" He leapt forwards, and his Zanpakuto vanished; choosing to fight somewhere without Tabigarasu as the brick wall behind him shattered as he sent a ball of invisible-reiatsu at the dodging Muramasa.

Others, too many for Ichigo to keep track of in his current predicament, echoed Kazeshini's sentiments, but one of them did not have that luxury, since her wielder was present and trying to interrupt her fun.

"Hey!" A small voice berated. "Stop it; I want to see him fight!" Soi Fon turned, to find a tiny figure hovering in front of her face; arms on hips. She was not happy that her wielder was attempting to prevent Ichigo's show.

"What are you..."

"What am I wearing? Nice, isn't it?" She posed for her wielder, showing the , and scowled as she got no response. "Hey, Ichigo," She _buzzed _over to hover in front of the human's face. "You like it, don't you?" She asked, sticking her bottom lip out as she _shyly_ looked down. Soi Fon fumed at the obvious fakeness, and the fact that Ichigo did not seem to notice.

"Uh..." Ichigo was confused, at the sudden want of his opinion in the middle of this situation, and at the fact that the tiny Zanpakuto was seemingly unaware of his predicament as she waited for his opinion. "Yeah? Yes, you look... nice?" He half asked; his tone slightly uncertain due to the glare he could see from Soi Fon over to the side. He could not imagine what she was angry about, and was very uncertain whether he was saying the right thing, but insulting the tiny girl in front of him would be a bad idea, surely.

"Thanks!" Whatever he was expecting in response to his uncertain statement, is was not this. The small Zanpakuto leapt forwards; or something of that sort, given that she was hovering with bee-like wings, and grabbed his head in an imitation of a hug; planting a kiss on his cheek and nuzzling him in an extremely odd reaction. Soi Fon reddened ever so slightly, and her scowl increased as her Zanpakuto turned to her, stuck out her tongue, and was about to speak in a teasing tone, when Soi Fon interrupted her.

"Idiot!" The Captain berated the girl. "You stung him!" Soi Fon scowled, and her Zanpakuto jumped back, yelping.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to sting you!" She panicked, and waved her arms up and down in a matching fashion. She had a guilty look on her face, as a tattoo-butterfly spread across Ichigo's left cheek. At the cold sensation, he raised his hand and rubbed at it; not overly concerned but a tad... weirded out by everything that was happening. "A-Anyway, I was _going_ to say that you need a man like him!" Suzembachi pointed her right arm at the orange-haired man. "I mean, I've only been out here for a few days, and I've gotten further with Ichigo than you!"

"How have you?!" Soi Fon demanded of her sword.

"I kissed him!" Suzembachi harrumphed, proudly.

"On the _cheek_!"

"Still counts!"

"No it doesn't!"

"Yes it does!"

"It doesn't!"

"Does!"

"Doesn't!"

"Doe-"

"Oi!" Ichigo exclaimed, from his place still frozen in place with the sharp of the blade pressed against his throat. "Can you take it some place else? Much as this is entertaining, I feel like I've got some stuff of my own to take care of! One of my Zanpakuto has my own Shikai pressed against my throat, and the other is halfway through killing your boss!" He directed this to Suzembachi, and the two females; Zanpakuto ad wielder respectively, turned to focus on the fight between the two.

-()-

The long-nailed one was slippery.

Cowardly slimy... coward!

Pale skinned pathetic human piece of filth!

He attacked Ichigo! That meant that _all_ of his hate belonged atop the purple-man. He would not accept someone hurting the one who saved his sanity!

He would tear the intruder limb from limb! His sister would burn the man to ash!

HE WOULD NOT BE ALONE AGAIN!

He would not!

Never.

-()-

Ichigo watched his Zanpakuto's rage with concern. Not for Muramasa; it was foolish for him to trust Tabigarasu yet again, after the blow he'd been dealt the last time, and the purple-eyed man had tried to kill more than a few of his friends. All of the Shinigami, in fact. No, he was concerned for many things, but the slimy man was not one of them.

He was worried for Tabigarasu, first and foremost, as his claws tore a chunk from Muramasa's arm; the man barely slipping out of the way of a fatal injury. Of course, the Spirit's mental stability was long, _long_ incurable, but Ichigo was not happy to see this. To see him so unstable, so far gone, made him worry for the future.

This lead to Ichigo's second cause for concern. Once Tabigarasu was _done_ with Muramasa, what would happen? He doubted that the Spirit would be content with so little, and so Ichigo would need to stop him. That should be doable, since Tabigarasu was taking his sweet time with Muramasa, and the long-nailed man was a talented dodger, if nothing else.

"Zangetsu," Ichigo scowled. "Will you get on with the fight? I know that you did not rebel for the sake of cutting my throat, after all."

"_I am aware, Ichigo,_" Was the impassive Zanpakuto's response, as he released Ichigo and the human-Shinigami turned to face him. "_That you are no fool. You are also a wielder that none of us have true complaints regarding._"

"And I know Nejibana's reasons by now." Ichigo stated. "She was insecure, and I can understand that even if I'm unhappy with it. Tabigarasu... well, he's not rebelling against _me_. He's rebelling against the rebel leader, in fact," The hybrid smirked. "So... he is still on my side, and acting like he normally does. Hichigo just wants to fight and cause chaos, and he can do that a lot better out here than stuck in my head." That, too, was simple as anything. "But you? I don't know why you're doing it."

"_I am sure you have some idea._" Zangetsu stated, slightly sceptically.

"The same reason as always?" Ichigo asked. "You think that I can do _more_ than I currently am. That I need to move forwards, and make the most of my strength. To grow so that I never have to sacrifice myself in a fight in order to win, as you seem certain I would; something that I can't honestly deny." In the right circumstances... well, Ichigo would be hard pressed to think of himself over those he cared about.

"_And how do I wish to achieve my intention_?" Zangetsu questioned his wielder.

"A fight?"

"_A fight._"


	20. Confrontations

**Here's another chapter of Savage that I hope you will all enjoy. I can't think of anything much to put here, other than the fact that this is quite an eventful chapter in several ways, though some of them require a little reading between the lines.**

**I wasn't being sarcastic in asking for opinions on whether Ichigo should get new Zanpakuto, as some people seem to believe, though I ****_will_****admit that I was teasing a little with such vague hints. I do that quite often, I'm afraid. I wasn't actually asking for new Zanpakuto (I'm pretty good at coming up with weapons, if I do say so myself) but more welcoming people's opinions on whether adding any more would be cluttering. I don't think that I've done that so far, but I'm the writer, not the reader, so my opinion's only so useful.**

**Please leave a review, and Follow/Favourite.**

**-()_()-**

At a later date Soi Fon would deny, even to herself, that she had stopped fighting just to _watch_ Ichigo and his Zanpakuto go at it. Even so, there was very little that she could actually gain from observing the pair in their fight and it would take some serious creativity to invent a logical reason to justify it in her own mind, or to her ex-mentor when Yoruichi asked her for a retelling of the event; having already gotten a hint of Soi Fon's actions from Ichigo, while grinning from ear to ear.

But she was hypnotised by the sight of Ichigo, as he weaved out of the way of Zangetsu's massive blade; the combined Shikai that he was able to use even without the other half of Zangetsu. Ichigo had yet to draw one of his weapons, for reasons known only to him at that moment.

Ichigo danced out of the way of a sapphire crescent, and raised an eyebrow at the attempt from his regal Zanpakuto. While a Getsuga Tensho would not likely kill Ichigo, it _would_ hurt. Ichigo did not voice his question, as Zangetsu sent another of the attacks his way. It was not as close a call this time, as the human-Shinigami expected the fast-moving attack. He easily stepped out of the way, and the Reiatsu-based ability crashed into the wall of a building behind him; one of the edges of their makeshift arena that was actually a large courtyard.

Ichigo smirked at the destruction caused, and vanished in a burst of Shunpo; appearing behind his Zanpakuto and driving his fist into the kidneys of Zangetsu. The spirit was thrown forwards, and barely righted himself in mid-air to land on the cobblestone ground; his blade raised and glowing.

"_Getsuga Tensho_." Zangetsu stated, and the blade fell; a sapphire arc launching at Ichigo. The Orange haired Hybrid vanished once again, and appeared off to Zangetsu's; left.

"I wonder why Ichi-kun isn't fighting back." A voice said, from the area over Soi Fon's shoulder.

"How would I know?" Was the shinigami's response, in a slightly annoyed tone. She was still unhappy with her sword-spirit. "And why are you calling Ichigo that?"

"Calling him what?" Suzembachi _buzzed_ over to the other side of her head.

"'Ichi-kun'." Soi Fon reminded the small spirit.

"Because Ichi-kun is our future husband!" The Zanpakuto chirped.

"WHAT?!" Soi Fon' composure left her, as she lost her footing at that remark, falling to the floor in an expression of her surprise.

"Husband," Suzembachi appeared in front of her wielder's face, hovering at eyeline, and spoke in a condescending tone. "Y'know, as in man-and-wife? And he _is_ a _man_." She purred, and turned to watch the fight once again.

"What are you talking about?!" Soi Fon demanded of the spirit. "Why would you think _that_?!"

"Because you like him and he likes you, though I don't know _why_ he would like _you_."

"Why would you think _that_?!"

"That you like him?" Suzembahi assumed Soi Fon meant. "Because _I_ like him, and I'm a part of you, silly."

"T-That's ridiculous!" Soi Fon denied. "I'm not some weak little girl to fawn over that man just because he is handsome!"

"Aha! So you admit that he's handsome! And he's _strong,_ and _sweet_! Even when he was confused, he complimented me; he'd probably compliment even _you_ if you gave him the chance!" She exclaimed, excited, turning back to the Soul Reaper captain.

"He's not _that_ strong." Soi Fon denied the point that stood out to her.

"Oh no? Well, watch; it looks like he's about to start fighting, and his Zanpakuto have been boasting about how strong Ichi-kun is!" Suzembachi appeared behind her wielder's head, and turned Soi Fon to look at the fight occurring.

Ichigo, meanwhile, was focusing entirely on the situation at hand and, so, did not hear anything of the conversation Soi Fon was being forced into. Instead, he was ducking and dodging the increasing number of Tenshos coming his way with decreasing ease, and decided that this tactic was no longer working for him. He had, after all, not landed a single hit on his Zanpakuto, during this fight, since his first.

Ichigo charged forwards in a blur, dancing out of the path of yet another attack in a Flash Step; appearing a foot to his right mid-run. He flashed forwards, to appear in front of Zangetsu, and leapt into the air a moment later; his foot raised to meet the taller figure's head.

Zangetus ducked, and Ichigo's leg only clipped the top of his skull; meaning the Zanpakuto could recover from the hit after only seconds of disorientation. By that time, though, Ichigo had drawn his fist back, and punched Zangetsu in the stomach. The spirit was thrown backwards, and Ichigo blurred forwards; seeking to capitalise. Zangetsu raised his blade, and swiped it across Ichigo's torso.

Blood sprayed from the man, as the large blade cut a shallow wound across his chest, and Ichigo snarled out his pain as he lunged forwards, and his fist met Zangetsu's jaw. The sword-spirit went flying to the side, as Ichigo hissed at the pain his form-fitting Kimono made upon brushing against his wound. The black fabric fell to the floor seconds later; solving that problem, and Ichigo began his attack anew; his fists raised as he ignored the blade on his left hip, much to her annoyance.

'Ichigo! Why not make this fight easier on yourself?!' Nejibana demanded of her wielder. 'Use my Shikai, at the very least!' She begged of him, as she sensed a small jolt of pain in Ichigo.

Ichigo did not respond, as he leant back and avoided the massive blade that Zangestu swung at him. Follwing through on this movement, he transferred his weight onto his arms and swept the Zanpakuto's feet from under him; sending Zangetsu to the floor. A grunt came from the Spirit, and Ichigo sprang to his feet again and seized Zangetsu's ankle. With a twist of his body, Ichigo threw the rebelling spirit at the wall on the opposite side of the courtyard, and hissed once more as his chest twinged.

'Ichigo! Put an end to this fight!' Nejibana pleaded with Ichigo, and the boy cringed at the desperation in her tone.

'Flower...' He began, in an apologetic tone. 'Old Man Zangetsu is rebelling to make me fight with _my_ power. If I rely on you as a crutch, then it negates what he is trying to teach me. _I_ can beat him. If I could not, there is no way he'd be doing this. I want to prove to _all_ of you that I _deserve_ to wield you. That I can protect you and everyone else.' His tone turned determined towards the end of his brief explanation, and Ichigo leapt forwards again, his Reiatsu-fuelled leap taking him to the partially-shattered wall that his Zanpakuto had crashed through.

As Ichigo landed, Zangetsu rose, and lifted his shikai form yet again; blinking away the painful ache running through his body in favour of continuing to fight.

"How much do I need to do to prove myself then, Zangetsu?" Ichigo asked of his Zanpakuto.

"_You have to defeat me, Ichigo_." Was the response. "_Thank you for adhering to the unspoken parameters, though I would expect you to use a blade._" He _almost_ asked why Ichigo was not using one of the sealed forms, at the very least, and Ichigo answered with a shrug.

"You want me to win with only my own strength, so I'm taking it a step further than just a sealed form. We both know that I'm stronger with a blade in hand, after all, so if I can beat you without drawing a blade, then I could replicate the same with a katana. If I'm honest, I believe that I could beat you with a blade, since I went up against you and Hichigo with Shikai, and I am stronger now than I was at that time. I don't know, though, whether I can beat you with _only_ my own strength." Ichigo rolled his shoulders, and pointed to the gash along his chest. "I can handle pain though, and that's something I need to learn to be able to continue to grow, as you so wish to see. Maybe if I was tougher, I wouldn't have stopped when that grinning bastard stabbed me in the back."

"_You're correct, Ichigo,_" Zangetsu nodded. "_But I believe there are more effective methods of growth for you than seeking pain. You have not come near to your potential for Reiatsu-manipulation, for example. You rely, instead, on the abilities of our Shikais to replicate that effect._"

"What do you mean?" Ichio frowned, simply failing to understand.

"_You know my origin, Ichigo._" Zangetsu reminded him, in an apathetic tone. "_Your mix of powers are unique. Your potential is unlimited, and so I do not regret my next actions. Even if you fail, it will remove an obstacle to your growth and motivate you to go further. To become stronger so that it will never happen again. I have changed my mind, Ichigo. You do not have to defeat me, as long as you block this."_ Ichigo watched, as the man's eyes lit up in a shocking blue glow, and heard shocked exclamations come from the rooftop to his left; where their two-person audience was perched. Zangetsu raised his blade, and the sword gathered more reiatsu than Ichigo had ever seen; he could feel the _thrum_ of the energy about to be released. The shikai held only the vaguest of shapes at that moment as the Reiatsu raged around it, and Zangetsu's arm fell.

"_Getsuga Tensho_!" Ichigo heard the man _yell_ for the first time, and a massive sapphire crescent burst forth.

Upon the rooftop, Soi Fon could not hear their conversation, but had been watching Ichigo's fight intensely since he first began to attack. She had defeated him in their spar, and she had not been going all out; giving a metaphorical handicap to the Substitute, but the skill with which he dodged these blows hinted, to Soi Fon, at Ichigo's strength and she began to want for a truer contest with him in hopes that _she _could force him to fight with all he had.

"Told ya he was a catch." Suzembachi smirked, floating above her head.

"W-What makes you think I agree _now_?" Soi Fon asked, in denial.

"Oh, I don't know, how about the _hungry_ expression on your face?" Suzembachi giggled. "It may just be me, but I think it appeared when he took his shirt off. I know it _aroused_ my interest." She giggled once again, as Soi Fon reddened.

"Wha- You little pervert!" She exclaimed.

"So what? I'm sure that Ichi-kun would like it if you were a little less prudish!"

"Shut up!"

"You shut up! I'm making sense!"

"You are not!"

"Am too!"

"Are not!"

"Am t-ahh!" Suzembachi squeaked, at the same time as her wielder let out a yell of surprise.

Sapphire chains had shot out of the roof below, and one rose into the air to catch Suzembachi before she could react; wrapping around her waist and yanking her down to the tiles. At the same time, the chains embraced Soi Fon's wrists and yanked them down to her hips; another encircled her around the ribs, and tightened to incite a gasp of pain from the Captain.

"What the hell?!" Soi Fon exclaimed, at the sudden restraint. She soon added another loud curse, as she searched for the source. She saw the sapphire crescent headed there way, and pulled on the chains, that were holding her still, desperately; her toned arms strained, but she failed to break free. On the ground next to her wielder, Suzembachi struggled to break free, also.

Soi Fon's panic only increased as she found one of Ichigo's Zanpakuto's attacks, this one larger than any of the predecessors, rocketing towards her. She was not able to block the attack, as he arms were restricted. Nor could she escape, as she found out upon trying to Shunpo away; her arms were very nearly pulled from their sockets as the strain on her shoulders was massively increased and the petite Soul Reaper let out a cry of pain. She was moments away from initiating her Shunko in an attempt to negate the damage when her Zanpakuto interrupted.

"Ichi-kun!" Suzembachi cried out for help, seeking it from the only person near enough to do anything. Soi Fon saw the apparent result of this cry, as Ichigo snapped out of his horror and appeared in front of the girls; his uncovered back suddenly prominent in the Captain's line of sight.

"Ichigo?" She groaned through gritted teeth; her arms aching. "What are you doing?!" He did not even have his sword drawn. "How do you mean to stop it?!" She yelled at the man, who did not respond as the air around him began to swirl.

Ichigo's face fell into his familiar scowl as he clenched his fists, nails digging into his palms as he forced a calm over himself and his brown eyes turned a vivid blue. Around him, the air began to burn blue; his Reiatsu flowing off him and wrapping its owner in a sapphire cocoon, and Ichigo slowed his breathing as the blow intensified. The human raised his arms in front of him, and focused his will onto the limbs as the back of his forearms faced the oncoming threat.

Soi Fon watched, fascinated, as the Reiatsu condensed around Ichigo; forming a very nearly opaque barrier around the hybrid before her eyes. Then, it went further, and the energy shrunk; wrapping around Ichigo's arms from elbow to knuckles as the Tensho attack neared their rooftop.

Ichigo lunged forwards, pushing himself off the tiled rooftop, and Zangetsu's blue arc crashed against his wielder as the man watched on with the smallest of frowns. His concern was unneeded as the attack stalled.

"Ichigo!" Soi Fon yelled, and the Reiatsu-chains dispersed. The Captain stepped to the edge of the building, as she stared into the blue abyss; looking for a clue of Ichigo's fate as he had been swallowed by the blue light.

The crescent shot into the air, and Soi Fon let out a cry of surprise. Then, she caught sight of Ichigo; kneeling on the ground below.

The human's forearms were red, and his fingers were splayed as he felt the skin burn; he had not been entirely successful, evidently, though he had blocked the vast majority of the damage, and he winced as he closed his fists. Apparently, he'd have to head for the Fourth Division as soon as the opportunity presented itself. He looked up as he felt Soi Fon appear next to him, and caught sight of Zangetsu. The man looked on with pride, as his form began to dissolve into pure blue particles and returned to Ichigo; vanishing as they met with the centre of his chest.

Ichigo would swear that his Zanpakuto had smiled at the pair in front of him in the seconds before his face vanished.

"Ichigo..." Soi Fon began, pausing as she was uncertain hat she wished to say. The girl placed her hand on his shoulder awkwardly and continued. "Thank you." She reddened, and dropped her hand hastily as Ichigo looked up at her before rising slowly to his feet. The Captain looked up at him, as the human smiled down at her.

"You're welcome." He shrugged at the gratitude. "I'm sure you would have done the same if you were in my position."

"I would have," Soi Fon agreed with her own smile. "Though I have no idea what that technique was that you used. Some form of Kido?" She asked.

"Something like that, yeah." Ichigo answered. "Hey... where's your Zanpakuto? Did she go somewhere."

"Suzembachi? No, I believe she's still over... there." Soi Fon found the Hornet Spirit where she expected, but the Zanpakuto was not in the state she anticipated. The bee-girl was staring at the two with her jaw hanging open. More specifically, she was staring at Ichigo.

"What's up with her?" Ichigo asked, after a few moments, in a nervous tone.

"I do not know," Soi Fon frowned. "She seems to be staring at..." She trailed off, as she turned to look at Ichigo, and found the reason. Instantly, she reddened dramatically, and she failed to find words, making a strange noise instead.

"Huh? What does "Hamenehuh" mean?" Ichigo asked, with confusion, as he glanced at the petite captain. "What are you looking at?" He asked, and looked down at himself. "SHIT!"

His clothes had not survived the attack.

He vanished in a burst of Shunpo, and reappeared behind one of the broken walls; quickly releasing Zangetsu in order to reacquire his Shinigami clothing, and returned to find Soi Fon having a whispered conversation with her Zanpakuto. The Captain appeared to be trying to refuse something, while her Zanpakuto hovered, in front of her, with hands on hips in a gesture of stubbornness.

"Would you rather I refuse to fight you? I could just refuse, and then you'd have to fight against the others without Shikai. I forget, do you enjoy being weak?" She asked, rhetorically. "It's not difficult! And I guarantee it won't be unpleasant!" She continued, as Ichigo grew confused.

"What's going on?" He asked.

"What?! Nothing!" Soi Fon turned, panicked, and exclaimed.

"Do it!" Suzembachi ordered.

"No! I never have!"

"Exactly! Who better than your future husband?!"

"I... I don't..."

"Do it!" She encouraged her wielder, who turned to Ichigo and reddened again at the very thought.

"Soi Fon," Ichigo began, voice soft and uncertain. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong!" Suzembachi chirped, and flew behind Soi Fon; shoving her wielder forwards. "Go on! You'll like it, trust me!"

"What are you talking about? I don't understa-aah!" Soi Fon jumped at Ichigo, and grabbed his neck. She lunged forwards, and her lips crashed against his as she pulled his head down and craned her own neck. "Mpph!" Ichigo let out a startled noise, as Soif Fon held herself against him.

"Mm." Soi Fon returned, in a moan, as she sank into the spontaneous kiss, and the man's eyes closed.

"Yay!" Suzembachi exclaimed, bringing Soi Fon back to the present and preventing Ichigo from responding properly as the Captain shoved him away a heartbeat later. Ichigo blinked confusedly, as the girl made another noise that he could not comprehend, the sword-spirit winked at him before dispersing in a golden shower. Then, Soi Fon vanished in a Flash Step and left Ichigo behind, extremely confused.

"Well... that was unexpected." He commented to himself, as pinkness began to creep up his own neck. "Wow."

Ichigo pulled himself together, clearing his throat, and shook his head.

"Right. Tabigarasu and... ah... Muramasa, that's it." He said to himself in a disoriented tone; his mind jumbled.

-()()-

When Ichigo arrived at his destination, the human-shinigami found a rather unfortunate image to greet him. Tabigarasu was, of course, thrashing his opponent, but Ichigo winced as he saw Muramasa pinned against the wall with a clenched, scarlet fist _crunching_ into his face over and over; most of his teeth were gone already and his nose had shattered.

Tabigarasu roared, a crimson glow lighting Muramasa's face from inside the savage spirit's skull, and let the purple-eyed man fall to the floor in a heap.

"Tabigarasu," Ichigo began, cautiously, as he appeared a few metres to the demonic-spirit's left. "He's beaten. You don't need to do this." He said, as his Zanpakuto raised its blood red claws and prepared to tear out the defenceless spirit's throat.

Tabigarasu roared again, and Ichigo nodded.

"I know, but he's defenceless. He poses no threat to me anymore, does he?" Ichigo asked. "Nor did he ever pose a true threat to me. As long as I have you and the others, someone as weak as Muramasa would stand no chance against me, right?"

The Zanpakuto growled.

"Wouldn't it be worse for him to be _spared_? To be left as this pathetic figure? To have to crawl away, beaten and broken, and lick his wounds?"

Tabigarasu grunted, and rose from his position on one knee next to the brown-haired man, his claws seeming to become less sharp as he decided not to kill the instigator of the rebellion. Muramasa turned his gaze towards the orange-haired Substitute, only to be stopped by Tabigarasu's foot slamming into his ribs and throwing him into the dirt. The brown haired man rolled, with a grunt, unable to catch himself with his largely-destroyed arms.

Tabigarasu turned red eyes onto Ichigo, and bowed his head as the red glow formed a poor imitation of a smile. Ichigo returned the gesture, and Tabigarasu began to fade once again in shower of red sparks. They returned to Ichigo, and the orange haired man frowned at the broken form of Muramasa on the ground; wholly undecided on what to do next. He had only said what he did to Tabigarasu because Muramasa would be killed in a wholly un-merciful manner if the choice was left up to the savage spirit. No matter what he had done, Muramasa was defenceless, and Ichigo would not allow a captive to be killed when he posed no threat.

"Wha will yoo doo wi' me?" Muramasa got out, spitting a few of his teeth out of his damaged mouth as he did so.

"First," Ichigo sighed. "I'll do what I can to heal you. You might deserve whatever Tabigarasu would have given you, I don't know how many fatalities there have been, but I won't kill you when you're not a threat." Ichigo knelt next to the brown haired man, and his palms began to glow a healing green.

Ichigo worked on the Zanpakuto for the better part of an hour, before he was satisfied that the Healing Kido had repaired Muramasa enough to move him to the Second Division and find someone to imprison him properly. Ichigo assumed that they would then call for healers and, therefore, settled on this plan of action.

He would have gone through with this, as well, had a voice not interrupted him.

"_Scatter, Senbonzakura_." The voice said, and a thousand blades slammed into Ichigo and caught the human unaware. He was thrown through a wall, as the petals cut into his torso, and had no chance to reduce the impact. As Ichigo lay, gasping, and the world began to darken, he saw the long haired form of Byakuya Kuchiki take Muramasa's arm, and prepare to Flash Step away. The man's gaze flicked to Ichigo, and the hybrid felt hate grip him just before he fell into unconsciousness.

Byakuya vanished through the use of Shunpo, taking Muramasa with him, moments before another arrived. The exile looked down at the human's broken form, and gasped.

"Ichigo..." Yoruichi knelt next to him, concern etched into his features, and her fingers went to his throat to check for a pulse. She let out a sigh of relief as she felt it, and leant down to him. The purple-haired goddess pressed her lips against his forehead, lingered there, and lifted her pupil's limp form before vanishing.

-()()()-

"Idiot!" Nejibana berated her wielder, as Ichigo appeared in his inner world. "You idiot! Do you know how worried I was?!" She demanded, her eyes teary. Ichigo had 'gone dark' for half a minute between the time Byakuya blind-sighted him and the human fell unconscious, and all of his swords were extremely worried about the fate of their Shinigami.

"I'm sorry, Flower," Ichigo said, not bothering to justify the situation using his lack of control, as his rage faded away at the sight of tears in Nejibana's eyes. "I know it must have scared you." He stepped forwards, and wrapped the female spirit in a hug. Nejibana leant into him, her tears flowing into Ichigo's cut up chest, as Ichigo continued. "I don't even want to think about it being the other way around." He murmured to the girl with sorrow in his tone at the very thought. "Hm?" He let out a mutter of surprise, as another par of arms wrapped around his waist from behind. "Oh, hello there Kikoo." He said as the fire-haired girl's head poked around his torso and the girl smiled up at him happily. Her mood was bettered as soon as Ichigo was shown to be fine.

"_You should have let Tabigarasu deal with Muramasa, Ichigo._" Zangetsu commented, off to the side, as he hid his own relief at seeing Ichigo healthy as could be expected. "_You could have avoided this incident._"

Tabigarasu growled his concurrence.

"I'm more inclined to regret not killing Byakuya when I had the chance, at the moment." Ichigo responded, as he tightened his arms around the crying spirit in an attempt to suppress his anger. "The treacherous bastard."

"_I am certain that you will get the chance,_" Zangetsu said, his own voice cold, as the spirit's dark eyes narrowed in anger. "_But I imagine you need to think on what your next course of action will be once you have calmed._" He said, logically. "_It appears that Muramasa will need time to recuperate, but Hichigo is uninjured. You have been hunting him, haven't you?_"

"I have..." Ichigo agreed reluctantly. "I suppose you're right. I should go after Hichigo first." He sighed, wanting to go after Byakuya but knowing the logic behind ignoring the traitor for now, and the group fell silent. Each person's mind was on a different, though related, subject. Kikoo's was certainly the most pleasant, as she cuddled into her wielder without any sadness colouring her thoughts.

"So, Ichigo," Nejibana said into his chest, as her tears faded after several minutes of quiet, with a smile. "About that kiss..."


	21. Quizzed by Kyoraku

**Here's another chapter of Savage. A long one, because I'm struggling to write anything for my other three fics for varying reasons. Well, that and the fact that I like Bleach and enjoy writing Savage. Don't expect many of this length, though, since I find it more natural, and preferable, to write my typical length chapters (that being somewhere around 4K words) and tend to run out of steam around that mark. Hell, this was two separate chapters when I wrote it, but the first half seemed like it contrasted nicely-enough with the second so... voila! **

**I hope you enjoy the chapter. Please let me know through Reviews, Follows and Favourites.**

**-)()(-**

"Oh, calm down, Ichigo." Nejibana laughed at her wielder's panic. Upon her mentioning of the kiss he shared with Soi Fon, Ichigo had stammered out apologies and attempted justifications in that she had kissed _him_, as he worried that his Zanpakuto would be angry with him. He had, apparently, forgotten that she was a part of him, and knew well that he had enjoyed the kiss. He had also forgotten another fact that came with her being a part of him. "I enjoyed it."

"Uh... you what?" Ichigo asked, with obvious confusion.

"I liked it. Soi Fon's attractive, and you like her. That means _I_ like her as well." The water-Zanpakuto smiled at him; having stepped out of the hug to watch Ichigo scrambling to rectify the imagined slight.

"You..."

"Wow. You're having difficulty with this, aren't you," She smiled at him, and continued in a teasing tone. "Almost as if your blood has been diverted from your brain at the image." She winked at her wielder, who began to redden at the implication.

"N-No. Nothing like that, I just..." Ichigo trailed off, trying to think of a better explanation.

"You just...what?"

"I was just surprised. I didn't realise... ah, that." He swallowed, and his Adam's apple bobbed. "I mean, you stayed silent, mostly, in the past, and didn't get the feeling that you liked... girls."

"I _love_ _you,__" _She emphasised, on the off chance that Ichigo was hiding his jealousy from her with far better control than he'd previously shown. "But I also like the things you like, since I see things from your perspective in the outside world." Her smile grew, becoming teasing once again. "That includes Soi Fon, as well as _others_, I am sure I don't need to clarfy who I mean by that." Ichigo raised an eyebrow, as the Zanpakuto winked again, in slight confusion.

"Um... it would help if you did."

-()_()-

As Ichigo rested, to give it a nicer name than his being severely injured and falling unconscious because of a treacherous ball-bag, the goddess in question sat at his side with concern etched onto her features as she waited for the senior captains to arrive at Fourth Division in order to be briefed on what she had found. Yoruichi ran a hand through his messy orange hair as the boy twitched in his sleep, and Ichigo seemed to nuzzle into her hand, inspiring a small smile in the purple-haired goddess. The human, for reasons unknown to his silent watcher, reddened at the same time, and this only increased the appeal to the woman. She thought him extremely cute with the blush covering her face, even if she wished that it was her that had caused it. She did not think that her stroking of Ichigo's hair would have made him so embarrassed.

"You're such a fool, Ichigo." She sighed, through a yawn; she had been here for hours now, and it was beginning to catch up with her. "Always getting yourself into trouble." She removed her hand from the hybrid's scalp after a moment, and leant forwards with a smirk. "But I have a bone to pick with you on top of that," She stood, and loomed over the unconscious Substitute with a fake-angry expression on her face. "You've known _me_ for longer than you've known her, but you kissed her first? How's that fair?" She asked, as she climbed atop Ichigo, and straddled the sleeping man. It would be funny to see his reaction to waking with Yoruichi sleeping partially on top of him once again. "Although I suppose there are _other_ things I could be first for." She commented to the man, finding that she quite liked her position.

That was a bad time for Ichigo to wake, Yoruichi was certain, as his brown eyes fluttered open.

"BAH!" Ichigo exclaimed, as he caught sight of the woman atop him, and jerked in shock. The woman was flung forwards, onto Ichigo's chest. "Ah!" He yelled again, this time in pain instead of surprise. His chest was not fully healed yet, and so it _hurt_ as the woman's bust pressed against him.

"Sorry!" Yoruichi returned, and pushed herself back into a sitting position. She grinned sheepishly at Ichigo, and continued. "I didn't expect you to wake up..."

"Okay... I don't see how that justifies you _straddling_ me!" He responded.

"We... you see..." Yoruichi began. "I... have nothing." She shrugged. "I was tired, and your bed looked comfortable?"

"And you didn't think it was _weird _to climb into my bed _with me_?!" He asked, as the were-cat shifted on top of him. "And why are you still on me?!" He exclaimed to the woman.

"Hmm? I was waiting for you to ask me nicely." Yoruichi pouted.

"Fine. Will you please get off me?" Ichigo asked her, a scowl betraying his annoyance despite the forced calm in his tone.

"Okay," Yoruichi said, in a disappointed voice. "Y'know, you're being very rude after I found you and brought you here to Fourth Division." She said, as she climbed off her pupil. "I saved your life."

"That was you?" Ichigo's eyebrows rose, now that he could get his bearings. "Thank you, then. I'm grateful, but that doesn't make it any more normal to wake up to a... to you in the same bed as me."

"You didn't like it?" Yoruichi asked, in a disappointed tone, missing the slip up for once. Whether this was truly how she felt or not, Ichigo could not say but it still made him feel bad for upsetting her.

"I didn't say that." Ichigo reminded her, in a sigh. "Not that I want you to do it again!" He hastily added, as a grin spread over her face. It fell away in favour of another pout and Ichigo decided to change the subject; he was no good at this. "When did you return, anyway?"

"I was coming back after Kisuke heard tell of all of this. I intended to tell you and the others of my reconnaissance when I felt Byakuya release his sword and thought he might need help," She scowled at the memory. "Obviously I was wrong about that, though." Ichigo grunted in agreement as he sat up, and swung his legs off the side of the bed. "And I carried you here." She smiled at him, and Ichigo shivered at the look in her eye. "I think you should give me a _reward_." She whispered, leaning in close.

"Uh... r-right." Ichigo stammered. "Ad how do you want me to do that?"

"Well, I've heard about you and Soi Fon, you see," Yoruichi watched Ichigo redden, much like her ex-pupil had, and her sultry smile increased in size. "And I'd like the same."

"I...um... what?" Ichigo had no idea what to say, as the woman licked her lips, and moved in to press her own against Ichigo's. Golden eyes met brown before Yoruichi's fluttered shut, while Ichigo just froze in surprise.

"Ah, Ichigo! You're awake!" Shunsui Kyoraku exclaimed, as he entered the room. Then, he comprehended the scene, and his grin grew. "Sorry, I didn't realise I was interrupting." He waggled his eyebrows, and backed back out of the room.

"Bastard." Yoruichi hissed. "Ruined the moment." She moved back, with disappointment, and spoke to Ichigo. "This isn't over." She promised the hybrid. "You can come in, Shunsui!" She called out, behind her, and leant back into her chair.

"Ah," He said, as he came back into the room. "I'm sorry. I didn't expect you to be having a romantic reunion with Yoruichi-san, Ichigo. I would have waited had I known." He grinned apologetically to the sitting man.

"Uh... that's not what... I don't... right..." Ichigo blinked confusedly at everything that had just happened, finished his sentence non-committally at the look of hurt on Yoruichi's face, though he was certain it was fake, and shook the cobwebs from his brain. "So how long have I been out?" The human asked. He really ought to have asked that earlier.

"Only two hours." A new, female voice answered him, as Retsu Unohana entered the room. She paused, and her smile turned sinister. "Why are you up, Kurosaki-san?" She asked her patient.

"I was going to go and look for my remaining Zanpakuto..." He answered uncertainly and gulped at the suddenly sinister nature of her _kind_ smile.

"And now you are going to lie down again while I check that you are recovered enough to leave my care, aren't you?" She ordered, in the form of a question.

"O-Of course." Ichigo lay down without complaint and turned his head to look at the other occupants as Unohana stepped forwards and began her examination. "Well, has anything important happened?"

"Not really, though Yoruichi and Soi Fon, together, have filled us in on what happened to you." Kyoraku explained quickly.

"Well that's good to hear." Ichigo nodded, glad he did not have to retell the events himself. "And... why are you all here?" He asked, in what he hoped was a polite-ish tone as his ex-captain entered the room. All three of the senior captains were present, and so Ichigo reached the conclusion that something serious was going on.

"Yoruichi has told us something worrying. Almost as much as that of Byakuya's betrayal." Shunsui began, serious for once. "We knew that Muramasa had imprisoned Old-Man Yamamoto, and now we know where the Captain-Commander is being kept."

"How is that bad news?" Ichigo asked. "Surely that means we can launch a rescue mission?" That would be the logical assumption, after all.

"If only, Ichigo," Shunsui responded, with a sigh. "I believe that that would be the case, had we found out Yama-jii's location even a day ago, but with Muramasa seemingly losing control of the rebellious Zanpakuto of Captains and Lieutenants, and a few powerful officers, they are no longer coordinated in their movements. Most of them seem to have taken to attacking the unranked Shinigami, in fact, until their wielder happens upon them and they fight until the Zanpakuto submits." His frown increased, as he left the other option unsaid.

"... Or the Shinigami fails." Ichigo finished for him, with his own sombre look. It was only logical that some of the Zanpakuto were victorious, and this would not have a happy ending for the Soul Reapers.

"Right." Shunsui nodded.

"You said that he had lost control of the Captains' and Lieutenants' Zanpakuto, right?" Shunsui nodded in response to the query. "Does that mean that other Zanpakuto have rebelled? I guessed that most ranked officers would have Shikai, but I've only seen them of a select few." Ichigo explained, with his mind on the idiot that he had met during his invasion.

"A large number of ranked Shinigami do have their Shikai," Shunsui confirmed. "And they have abandoned their masters too, though they are less troublesome than our Zanpakuto. The power of the spirits seems to vary depending on how strong their wielder was." He explained briefly, and Ichigo nodded slowly. "Fortunately, I suppose, he still has these Zanpakuto under his thumb, and they are not simply going around causing chaos."

"Another question," Ichigo added, after processing the information, as he scowled. "What happens when someone fails? What happens to the Zanpakuto?" He asked.

"That has been the main duty of the Captains throughout this rebellion." Jushiro Ukitake answered him. "None of us have encountered our Zanpakuto just yet, and so there have not been many instances that one of us have struggled to deal with."

"That is not necessarily true." Retsu commented, as she poked Ichigo in the ribs, inspiring a twitch in the human at the brief urge to snicker due to the almost tickle. She found, however, no signs of pain and the captain frowned imperceptibly at the rapid healing. She could have healed him this quickly, had she been focused solely on him for the past few hours, but the captain had been to busy to heal Ichigo to the fullest extent of her abilities. Any suspicions she held, however, were vanquished as she ran her hands over Ichigo's chest, and he hissed at the sensation on his still-sore flesh. "Captain Hitsugaya is missing currently, and Captain Soi Fon has regained her Zanpakuto, even if it was not through combat."

"Oh?" Ukitake responded. "How did she regain her Zanpakuto, then?"

"She did not specify." Unohana said, quite uninterested in the subject as she did not need the details. Shunsui, however, noticed the knowing smirk on Yoruichi's face, and that meant he _was_ interested.

"What are you smirking about?" He demanded. "How did she regain her Zanpakuto?!"

"Our sweet little Soi Fon-" Yoruichi began, only to be interrupted by the only other person who knew the story.

"It's not important," Ichgo blurted. "Surely we should be focusing on more pressing matters?" He interrupted for several reasons. The most obvious of these was that he did not want to be teased, but the _main_ reason was that he had a feeling Soi Fon would be far more unhappy than he if people found out about their kiss. Well, of her kissing him, since she was definitely the instigator.

"That's correct," Ukitake agreed, taking pity on the reincarnation of his Lieutenant as Ichigo blatantly wanted the subject to change. "We need to organise a meeting with all of the captain-level fighters as soon as possible and, subsequently, we will need to regain our Shikais, at the very least, to prepare ourselves against for any coming threats." He said, calmly.

"I suppose," Shunsui sighed. "After all, if they are independent of Muramasa's wishes now, we will need to act quickly lest they begin to disperse. If any of them enter the Human World, it may be impossible to locate them at a later date. Hell, that might be true if they were to enter the Rukon district, since we do not have the manpower to search the entire Soul Society let alone the people that would survive if they encounter one of the Sword-spirits."

"So we need to strike quickly?" Yoruichi summarised. "Then I aught to go and round up the other high-level Shinigami, right?" She was the fastest, after all.

"Maybe it would be best if you didn't go ff on your own," Ichigo suggested halfheartedly from his place on his bed.

"Oh, are you worried about little ol' me?" Yoruichi grinned at him playfully.

"Yes." Ichigo stated, in a serious tone, in answer to the question. Yoruichi's expression faltered, and she adopted an annoyed frown. "I know you're strong, don't get me wrong, but the Zanpakuto have different rules when fighting to Shnigami. Some of them are incredibly dangerous, and without... honour, for lack of a better word." He said, with Hichigo in mind.

"What do you mean?" Shunsui asked, with confusion.

"Well... I'd say that I have the most experience in dealing with the characteristics of different Zanpakuto," Ichigo shrugged his shoulders. "Not to sound arrogant, but I have five spirits in my inner world, and they're all pretty damn different."

"A fair assessment." Ukitake nodded.

"And none of my five are particularly adverse to violence, so I assume that Zanpakuto typically share that characteristic." Ichigo said, logically. "And two of them are... prone to it," Ichigo thought that was the best way to phrase the seeming sadism of Hichigo and the savagery of Tabigarasu. "With the abilities that some Shikai's have, it could be dangerous if they have the same inclination. I would suggest that even the Captains and Lieutenants travel in pairs with different skillsets, in case they encounter one of the Zanpakuto that cancel out their primary fighting ability, or abilities." At the thoughtful, but not entirely convinced, expressions on the other Shinigami, Ichigo continued. "Rukia, for example, would be ill-equipped to fighting your Zanpakuto, for example, Ukitake-taicho, since she's prone to using Kido, and I'm sure that there are people _more_ reliant on the magic than she is."

"Hm. That's a good point," Jushiro nodded. "But I would argue that we senior captains are adaptable, as are many of the others."

"Not necessarily," Ichigo winced at what he was about to say, but pressed on. "I mean... well, my Zanpakuto that is still free _knows_ about your sickness, and would not hesitate in using that against you if he had to." Ichigo said in a slightly hesitant tone.

"He's right." Shunsui realised. "My Zanpakuto would know as well and, I'm sure, yours would be able to exploit my weaknesses."

"Like?" Jushiro asked, with a frown.

"Uh..." Shunsui didn't think a lot about his own weaknesses when outside of training, so he took a moment to think of what his worst factor would be. Ichigo beat him to it, and likely had a better outlook on the situation. Because of this, he spoke up and did not consider the fact that he was almost insulting captain Kyoraku.

"I'd say that it would be his reluctance to fight," Ichigo commented. Then, he realised that it was inappropriate to point this out, and attempted to justify it hastily at Shunsui's surprised look. "I mean... it looked like two little kids were your Zanpakuto spirits, Captain, and Kyoraku-taicho would likely buy that they did not want to fight him. That would let them... blind-side him, and they may be able to hurt even you if they took you by surprise." He said this last part to Shunsui himself, and the man grinned.

"Oh, stop it, you," He waved off the compliments with a faux-bashful expression. "You're gonna make me blush. But that makes sense, I suppose." The captain nodded, with a thoughtful expression now on his face.

"How did you get so good at spotting people's weaknesses?" Yoruichi asked, with a Cheshire-cat grin back on her face.

"My Zanpakuto like training? They're better at it than me, and I guess I picked up some of it along the way." Ichigo shrugged, with a hint of red on his neck at the complimentary, teasing tone. It was true what he said, though, since Zangetsu was extremely talented at the art-form. "I admit I've been quizzed about it before, for my allies since they were the options, by Zangetsu though. I can't do it that quickly unless it's in the middle of a fight, I'm afraid." He grinned sheepishly, as Shunsui whistled, and Jushiro nodded.

"Okay, then," Yoruichi began, leaning forwards. "What's mine?" She asked, with her elbows resting on her knees. Ichigo's gaze, she was pleased to see, flicked to her bust briefly, and then he pulled it back to her golden eyes. Unlike Shunsui, who stared unashamedly at her girls.

"Ah..." Ichigo hesitated, unsure of whether she actually wanted an answer, but decided that Yoruichi would not have asked if she didn't, on some level, want to know what it was. "Well, it'd have to be that, no matter how talented you are in Hakuda and Hoho, and you are the best I've seen, a blade is a more effective method of combat than hand-to-hand. I haven't ever seen you use your Zanpakuto, so... yeah." He finished awkwardly as Yoruichi's grin faltered, before turning into a smirk.

"A good point well made." She remarked, sitting up again, and hiding her surprise that he had made it.

"And mine?" Retsu Unohana asked, as she finished her examination, that had been ongoing throughout these interactions.

"I don't have a fucking clue." Ichigo scowled. "That's one of the things they constantly bring up, but even as Kaien I don't remember seeing you fight properly. I just know that you must be strong, to be one of the top four Captains, as I rank you in my mind at least." He said, with annoyance in his tone. "I normally end up going with your Shikai being bulky and, seemingly, ill suited to combat?" He finished, with a slight uplift in his tone that signalled that he was wholly uncertain. He had thought, briefly, that she did not like combat herself, but the sinister aura she sometimes gained resulted in him doubting this fact.

"Hm." Retsu gained a smirk at the fact that Ichigo did not know her weakness. Then, it fell away as her two friends gained thoughtful looks, and wondered what _they_ would say was her weakness. That could not mean anything good for her.

"And what of the other captains?" Shunsui wondered, as he and his closest friend had a similar train of thought at the insight into Ichigo. Both of them began to wonder what Yamamoto would think of Ichigo's thought process. They suspected that Genryusai had similar thoughts, however, and suspected that he would pursue Ichigo for captaincy if he knew that the hybrid thought about their weaknesses to such an extent. While neither planned to tell the old man, since they did not want Ichigo to be forced into captaincy, they thought it remarkable for Ichigo to have a talent for this.

"Kind of," Ichigo nodded slowly. "But I don't know all of them well enough to express certainty. Some of them weren't around when I was Kaien, and my interactions with them have been limited. Likewise, I didn't interact all that much with Captains when I was still your Lieutenant." He added to Jushiro.

"Captain Kurotsuchi?" Jushiro asked, only to receive a look of surprise, mixed with some small ridicule, in response before Ichigo answere.

"He's insane," Ichigo said simply. "And, if you showed him something interesting, he would lose all focus on the fight at hand. That would be his main flaw. Not a difficult question to answer, Taicho; I bet that even Omaeda could have come up with the answer." He said, and then blinked at the memory. "Oh, what happened with him, anyway?" He asked Captain Unohana stood next to his bed.

"His Zanpakuto spirit was captured, and he is with it at Division 12 at this very moment." Unohana answered, with a small frown at the thought of what Mayuri Kurotsuchi would be doing to the man. Unfortunately, it was a necessary evil at the moment.

"Oh, okay." Ichigo did not particularly care, since he disliked Omaeda.

"How about Zaraki?" Shunsui asked, as Ichigo showed no sign of more enquiries.

"Again, he's not exactly stable. He charges in without thought and hinders himself. If his opponent was strong enough, and he just let them cut on him, they could kill him with a blow that he would not bother trying to block. His skill set is also very limited, since he relies only on Zanjutsu, and, as if that wasn't enough, he restricts his abilities a hell of a lot." Ichigo said, thinking of the bells, the eyepatch, and the fact that he only used one hand on his blade.

"Captain Hitsugaya?" Jushiro wondered, with a smile gradually forming, as the man he still thought of as his Lieutenant showed off his mentality toward battle.

"I don't know him all that well, but it seems like he's a little short-tempered when someone mentions his height, or age. Or," Ichigo frowned at what he was about to say. "I'd suggest a tactic that'd be effective with a lot of you, but that he has had less experience dealing with; he panics when you throw an attack at his subordinates." The hybrid thought back to his own invasion, when Toshiro had left the obviously strong fighter for his Lieutenant to deal with while he rushed off to protect his subordinates.

"Tosen?" Shunsui asked.

"The whole 'justice' obsession jumps to mind, since he could be manipulated through it. Or maybe the fact that he's blind; I mean, he's rarely hindered by it since he uses his Reiatus-sensing abilities to compensate for it, but he does have one less sense than most of his enemies." Ichigo shrugged. "But he isn't a captain anymore, so I'm not sure why you included him."

"Komamura?" Shunsui ignored the fact, and moved on, enjoying the game.

"It used to be his embarrassment, and shame, for his appearance. Now... I suppose I'd say that he's quite angry, and doesn't always think before attacking." He summarised, thinking of the beginning of this very rebellion.

"Byakuya?" Jushiro asked. "He's still a captain, for the moment at least."

"Pride." Ichigo summarised in a word. "He values his own bloody pride more than even the life of his sister. And above his loyalty to the Gotei 13, evidently." Ichigo found a glass of water on his bedside table and took a quick drink from it before continuing. "It takes the form of arrogance, as well, as he assumes that his opponent will stand no chance against him. He's not the strongest of the captains, so he shouldn't have that opinion.

"But, as interesting as this is, how is this helping with the situation at hand?" Ichigo asked, with a frown. "Other than Byakuya, none of the Captains are my enemy at the moment."

"Ah... I guess we got caught up in the moment." Shunsui grinned. "It's an interesting subject." He shrugged, before turning to Unohana. "So how's he doing?" He asked, of Ichigo's health.

"You recovered remarkably quickly," She said, to Ichigo. "And it looks like you'll be ready to leave very soon."

"Okay, then." Yoruichi's smile grew once again. "I call Ichigo as my partner!" She exclaimed suddenly. "He makes up for my failings."

"I don't thin-" Jushiro began, only to be interrupted. His point about Ichigo and Yoruichi not truly balancing out each-others' failings would go unheard, as the Captain decided that the slight aversion to Kido that both held would not be overly important in upcoming fights. A few moments later, he became more resolute in this thought, as he remembered reports of Yoruichi showcasing some form of Kido mixed with Hoho, and that Ichigo had an array of longer-range attacks that would be effective as a substitute.

"We're agreed then," Yoruichi continued. "Hurry up and get better, so that we can leave." She grinned at Ichigo, who blinked in surprise.

"Okay, then," Shunsui said, with a knowing grin. "With that in mind, Ichigo, what would you say your own weak-points are?"

"My own?" Ichigo hesitated, not being particularly comfortable with divulging his own weaknesses. Then, however, Zangetsu pointed something out that alleviated the hesitation.

'_They are all very experienced in combat, Ichigo. I am sure that they could identify the weaknesses themselves, if they have not done so already_._ Anyway, you will be fighting alongside them in the future; it would do for them to know you._' The stoic Zanpakuto pointed out. '_Though I would not suggest any of this, were you to hold any of the people present in any less than your highest regard._'

"Well, I know my own weaknesses better than anyone else's," Ichigo began, moments after Zangetsu made this argument. "I'd have to say that I'm weak with Kido, though I've learned a few Hados and a select couple of Bakudas, which could be trouble in certain situations, although I have mid-to-long range attacks with my Zanpakuto abilities, so I may be able to make up for that flaw." He took another drink of water, and continued. "I have a temper, too, and am inclined towards violence as a couple of my Zanpakuto imply, though I keep more control of myself than people like Kenpachi.

"I, like most people, have people I care about more than I care about myself, but that's also true for my Zanpakuto, so I'd avoid dying if at all possible but I would make rash choices if one of them was threatened; this is more important since some of those I care about are humans and, so, less durable than my enemies." He rubbed his jaw in thought, and his gaze flicked to Yoruichi, who smiled softly at the flaw; it showed Ichigo's character, after all. "Tying into my lack of Kido abilities, my Zanpakuto, though ranged, are all quite focused on combat. I guess that could be seen as a fault. Even though I learn quickly, I have less experience with combat than a lot of my enemies; Aizen would be the best example I could give of that, so I might be less... able than them.

"There are things that aggravate me a lot, too. Mistreating allies, for example, riles me and..." Ichigo frowned, and hesitated before saying the next part, but relented upon a nudge from his Zanpakuto. "My mother's death. If someone brought that up, I would likely lose control of my anger." He finished, not thinking of any other significant weaknesses that he had.

"Huh." Yoruichi did not find any other words to express her thoughts. She had not expected Ichigo to be so honest or, based on what she knew of him, to speak in such a _clinical_ tone as he listed his own weaknesses.

"That was... detailed." Shunsui commented.

"Zangetsu pointed out that I'll likely be fighting with you in the future. I might as well tell you now, and save myself the trouble in the future." He shrugged. "Besides, I wouldn't have told you if I didn't trust you, and I'm not particularly ashamed of any of it." He looked at the purple-haired goddess sat next to him, and continued. "I'm good to go whenever you are."

When the pair had, in fact, left, Shunsui frowned, and inspired worry in his friends through the action. It was a rare sight, to see the easygoing captain look anything nearing unhappy and the significance was not lost on his fellow captains.

"What is it?" Jushiro asked, with concern in his voice. His own realisation during this time did nothing to inspire angst in him, as it appeared Shunsui's had. The sickly captain had noticed, during this time, that Ichigo was speaking as though he _remembered_ his time as Kaien. Likely not _all_ of it, but the change was clear, and Ukitake was joyful about the return. Perhaps, eventually, Ichigo would return to the Gotei 13; surely that would help him to recover the entirety of his memories as soon as was possible.

"I gonna have to keep an eye on that kid," Shunsui stated, in a serious tone. He did not intend to be derogatory with the use of that term, but he and his friends could not see a human, barely old enough to be seen as an adult by even his fellows, as anything but a kid. "I have a feeling that, whatever he does, the Soul Society will change because of Ichigo Kurosaki."

-()()()-

Ichigo was angry, and Yoruichi was uneasy at the sight.

While she had seen him irritated before, mostly in response to her teasing acts, most recently being her attempting to sleep with him once more, in the most literal sense, the exile had never seen Ichigo genuinely angry, and had a feeling, based on the nature of his Zanpakuto that she had heard tell of from Soi Fon, and the one that she had seen briefly in the caves, that Ichigo's temper would be a sight to behold. She had seen Urahara wondering over whether they represented a part of Ichigo, since they were not born naturally to him, and her friend had reached the conclusion that they _became _a part of Ichigo, even if it was only because of their influence of him while the hybrid grew up. For his soul to contain one spirit that was as... crazed as the bleached version of him, and another that was indescribably angry, Ichigo must have his fair share of demons, and several other people's fair share heaped upon him.

"What is it?" She asked after the sudden onset of Ichigo's fury. She had sensed a group of Shinigami in combat with one of the freed Zanpakuto for a moment, before already formidable Ichigo's Reiatsu flared, and pulled her attention to him.

Ichigo chose not to respond, and vanished in a flash of Shunpo. Fortunately, Yoruichi Shihoin was not known as the Goddess of Flash for not reason, and followed her self-named protege an instant later. She followed his path, reducing his head start as Ichigo paused briefly to ascertain where the brawl was occurring, and soon reached the man's destination; the woman appeared to Ichigo's side, and gave a brief, concerned glance to him as she saw a haunted look in her... in Ichigo's eyes.

He stared at the broken bodies of Shinigami with sorrow colouring his Reaitsu, and Yoruichi's worry increased as the energy flickered. She did not know why, but Ichigo's breathing deepened at the same time, and Yoruichi hoped that it was him regaining composure in order to restrain the pressure that had slowed even her, though it would certainly have a greater impact on the unranked Soul Reapers below the pair, where they had fallen and a select few of their brethren remained standing, shakily, between their helpless allies and the threatening presence of a Zanpakuto.

"Yoruichi..." Ichigo's voice came out as a whisper, unsettling after he had seemed _happy_ during their time in Fourth Division. "You need to take them to the Fourth Division. Get the others that are still standing to help you, but you need to save as many of them as you can."

"What?" The purple-haired woman bit in return. "You're the one that suggested that we travel in pairs, how can you ask me to leave you here now?" And she was certain that that was what Ichigo was asking, as she followed his now hard gaze to the grinning Zanpakuto who's attention had moved to the enemies that could _actually_ put up a fight, unlike the weakling Shinigami that he'd been fighting with for the last quarter-hour. He could have finished them all off in a couple of seconds, but where would the fun be in that?

"_Please_." Ichigo's eyes met hers, and Yoruichi's resolve faltered briefly. "I would hate to have you here for this fight, but that isn't what I was thinking of," He said, voice heavy. "If they are around during this fight, that lot will die. They'll be collateral damage; I've seen how incomparable the majority of the unranked Shinigami are to Captains and their Zanpakuto, and I couldn't forgive myself if they just perished because they happened to be _there_ while I was fighting him."

"And why do _I_ need to go? I'm sure that those still standing could handle it."

"Then you'd be wrong." Ichigo shook his head. "Look at them; not one of them is able to stand steadily, let alone Flash Step back to the Healers and make a round trip. _You_ could take all of them back and not even break a sweat." He stated, not attempting to compliment the woman, only pointing out the facts.

"And if this is another ambush?" Yoruichi's eyes narrowed.

"I still have a few tricks up my sleeve," Ichigo smiled at the woman. "You never have seen my Bankais, after all." Ichigo's eyes drifted back to the Spirit, who's smile was beginning to fade in favour of an impatient expression, as he considered attacking the cannon-fodder in an attempt to speed up his King's conversation. Or maybe he could fire an attack at the cat-woman, that would trigger Ichigo's protective nature, even more effectively.

"Fine." Yoruichi hissed, knowing that Ichigo had said the truth. "I'll be back soon." She finished, and vanished in a flicker. Ichigo watched her form briefly materialise next to one of the worst-injured of the Shinigami, and then the unconscious figure vanished alongside her. Hopefully the cut, from shoulder to hip, would be fixable.

"**Ya done clucking, King**?!" Hichigo asked, as he prepared for the last fight he'd have in the outside world. If this was the last chance he's get to cut loose, the Hollow would make the most of it.

Ichigo directed a cold gaze on the rebellious spirit, and he did not give a verbal response as his hand went to the blade at his waist. Ichigo was not happy with Hichigo; he would have been fine with the Hollow, had he made any number of attempts on Ichigo, or one of the Captains for that matter, since there would be a _fight_ in that case. One that should appease the Bleached Zangetsu's bloodlust in a productive way. To attack the Shinigami that were effectively _defenceless_, though... that was not acceptable in Ichigo's mind.

He expressed this fact by lunging forwards, with Old Man Zangetsu's blade drawn, and becoming a blur of Reiatsu as he sped over the top of the remaining Shinigami, who were rapidly vanishing as Yoruichi made the trip back and forth. The Wakizashi flashed, and Hichigo's blade blocked it as it sped towards his neck.

"**Haha! Right in for the kill shot, eh King?**" He cackled, unminding of the fact that the blow _would_ have put him down. "**Glad to see the lessons 'ave stayed with ya!**" He added, with his grin in full force.

Ichigo grunted, as he backed away from the pale version of himself in a single leap. Hichigo did not bother to attempt to follow, as he knew his wielder by now, and was aware of the fact that Ichigo could have kept at the fighting and, most likely, come out on top. In close combat, Hichigo's only advantage was high-speed regeneration, and one of his gloomier counterpart's abilities could just about make up for that.

"**Don't be like that; you ain't normally this quiet in a fight!**" He commented, merrily. "**Is this about the weaklings?**" He guessed that Ichigo was angry about his fighting them.

"Obviously," Ichigo's eyes narrowed, at the question. "What did killing them get you?"

"**Eh. I was bored, and couldn't find any better sport.**" Hichigo shrugged in answer. "**They aren't **_**definitely**_**dead, anyway. I reckon the cat-babe took 'em in time to get healed.**" As Ichigo fumed at the justification, Hichigo continued in a laugh. "**It's your own fault Kingy, we both know I'd only be amused by breakin' buildings and shit for so long, and you'd a' been pissed if I went to Hueco Mundo by myself! You shoulda' come lookin' for a fight ages ago!**

"**If any of 'those bastards died they were pathetic! You haven't learned to let guys like tha' go yet, but you need to! There's a WAR comin', King! You can't survive if you're soft!**" And there it was. Justification that, even if Ichigo did not accept it, made perfect sense to the spirits inside him and, so, his fury wavered much to Ichigo's irritation.

"Shut up!" Ichigo responded, confused. "I fight to _protect_! If I give that up, why the fuck would I stay here?!"

"**I'm still a part of you, Kingy, I ain't tellin' you to stop protectin', just to be more... bah, I don't know how to describe it! I'm no good at this shit!**"

'_He believes that you should be more selective in who you fight for, Ichigo. While you do not have the same desire to protect strangers as those you care about on a personal level, you are still too compassionate in his eyes._' Old man Zangetsu clarified, from Ichigo's inner world.

"You want me to be more _selective_?" Ichigo asked the bleached man in front of him.

"**That's right!**" Highigo nodded, with his grin full force.

Ichigo did not know how to respond to the suggestion, as he was of two minds on the topic, and, so, did not.

The human lunged forwards, with the blade raised, once again and Hichigo let the subject go in favour of more entertaining prospects with a cackle. Ichigo's blade bounced off the Khyber knife in Hichigo's hand, and he spun with the change, bringing his foot into the spirit's side and throwing Hichigo away with a surprised grunt. The pale Zangetsu righted himself just in time to avoid hitting the wall, and see that Ichigo had vanished in a flash of Shunpo.

The Zanoakuto discovered his wielder's location soon enough, as Ichigo appeared to his left with his fist drawn back, the Wakizashi sitting in his left hand to allow such an attack. Hichigo twisted away, so that the punch was no more than a glancing blow, and swung his Shikai form at Ichigo in a swiping blow. Ichigo met it with the sealed Zanpakuto in his grip, and was shoved back into the wall they were stood in close proximity to. Hichigo stabbed at his face with the large blade, and Ichigo ducked out of the way; he drove his shoulder into the Hollow's stomach, and tossed him over his shoulder a moment later with a small grunt. The Shinigami vanished in another burst of Shunpo, and appeared, facing his downed Zanpakuto, a few metres away with a scowl on his face.

Hichigo was on his feet in a moment, and his grin had not faded with being dumped on the floor. He was twitching in excitement, as he saw that there were very few of the weaklings left behind his King. When they were gone, he'd get to go all out, and Ichigo'd return the favour. Even if Hichigo knew the outcome, he knew it would take some time for them to reach that point and, as a Hollow, he relished in the thought of the destruction that would accompany their fight.

Hichigo lunged forwards, unthinking of any defence as he wished to re-enter the fray while he waited for Yoruichi to return, and swung his blade in an overhead strike at Ichigo; one that, had it hit, would have cleaved most Shinigami in two. Ichigo stepped aside, as his Hollow abandoned any attempt at avoiding his blows, as his fist began to spit blue sparks into the air around it, promptly stepped under the reach of the large blade, and drove his reiatsu-enhanced knuckles into Hichigo's stomach. With a gasp, the Hollow-Zanpakuto was thrown back once more, and landed in a heap without dropping the cheerful expression.

"**So the Old Man's bin teachin' ya some manipulation, eh?**" Hichigo asked, needlessly, as he scrambled back to his feet, Ichigo allowing him to stand lest Hichigo raise the Khyber to impale Ichigo at the end of his attacking charge. "**No offense, but ya were kinda shit at it before, when ya had no reason to be.**"

"None taken," Ichigo replied, before lunging forwards, again, with the sealed Wakizashi raised to cut across Hichigo. The Hollow leapt aside, and returned the favour with a swipe of his Shikai that Ichigo narrowly dodged, dropping to the ground and taking his weight on a single arm. Ichigo's spun, feet lashing out, and knocked Hichigo's legs out from under him, and the Hollow swore in an exclamation of annoyance as Ichigo hopped back to his feet.

The human-Shinigami brought his Wakizashi down, in over his head, in what would have been a savage blow, had the last of the unranked officers not vanished in the seconds before.

"**Bala!**" Hichigo hollerred, and a _bullet_ of blue energy caught the hybrid in his abdomen, throwing Ichigo back, with a slight burn on his torso, to land on the ground; the human had failed to right himself in mid air due to the... _unpleasant_ feel of taking a Bala in the stomach. "**Get up King! Ya don't wanna be hit by this at point-black range**!" Hichigo cackled, as he raised his right hand, palm facing Ichigo, and began to charge a far stronger attack. Ichigo's eyes widened, and he whispered a curse, as the ball of red energy began to grow. He vanished in a flash of Shunpo, and appeared on his feet on the other side of the open area in which they fought, debating what he should do to stop the attack.

The easiest method available to Ichigo was to simply dodge; he had time, and his Hollow wasn't exactly creative when it came to using his powers, but that would lead to a hell of a lot of destruction. Who knew what unfortunate soul might be walking behind him? He could direct it into the sky once again. That would bring up questions sooner than Ichigo would like about his Hollow-nature, but it seemed to be the best option he had at the moment. If he simply blocked it, he'd give Hichigo too long to sneak around and attack him from a blind-spot, and none of his attacks, that were full power at the moment, would properly counteract it. A well timed Getsuga Tensho would do it, but that would not be entirely stable without both Zangetsus in his possession, since it was technically Hichigo's attack. If it exploded... well, that would outdo the destruction Hichigo's Cero would inflict.

Then, Ichigo ran out of time to deliberate.

"**CERO!**" Hichigo screeched, before he bared his teeth in a grin, and the red energy erupted, blasting towards Ichigo, who grimaced at the sight of the far-larger attack than last time as his Wakizashi vanished and was replaced by the brutal-looking tanto of Tabigarasu.

"_Savage-!_" Ichigo roared in return to Hichigo's yell, the rest of the announcement being lost to the roar of the cero rapidly nearing the orange-haired man. His biceps lit up in a blue light that appeared dull in comparison to Hichiso's energy attack, just as a certain exile arrived on the scene.

Yoruichi did not have the presence of mind to yell, as Ichigo shot forwards, charging at the attack head-on with what she could only describe as stupidity. Was he _trying_ to get sent back to Fourth Division? She woman was moments away from Shunpoing forwards, and pulling Ichigo out of his current path when his speed picked up, into his own Flash-Step, and Ichigo vanished from her sight for a brief second. When he reappeared, it was inches away from the approaching torrent of energy with his hands lowered as if to take a hold the attack.

Her golden eyes widened as he did just that, and her jaw dropped as she saw him _wrestle_ with the attack for a moment, before throwing it straight up into the air, his face contorted in a grunt of exertion. The cero roared into the sky, and Yoruichi was blinded by the resulting explosion. When she recovered, it was to find Ichigo, panting slightly, glaring at his remaining Zanpakuto, and the spirit grinning at him in return.

Ichigo's attire had survived surprisingly well, considering his track record of ending up stark naked in battle, but the front of his kimono had burned away, and Yoruichi raised an eyebrow at the unaffected skin that was revealed, though a circular burn did sit in the centre of his abdomen from what she assumed was a different attack altogether. She wondered how he had managed that, but was forced to put it out of her mind when Hichigo leapt at his wielder again, with his massive blade raised. He wasn't massively observant, so he missed the look on Ichigo's face.

Yoruichi, on the other hand, saw the scowl morph slightly into a snarl, and flicked her eyes to his gauntlet-covered hand as it clenched into a fist.

As Hichigo neared, Ichigo thought on how tedious it would be to explain the situation regarding his inner-Hollow to the Captains, especially the Captain-Commander, and felt his anger grow with the approaching spirit. He stepped to the side, as Hichigo reached him, and punched the annoying spirit in the face; his punch was amplified a great deal, due to Tabigarasu's Shikai, and so Hichigo stopped, and hung in mid air with the crimson-fist buried in his face for a moment, before shooting in the opposite direction, and slamming into the wall he had left behind. The wall crumbled, and fell on top of Hollow-Zangetu. Ichigo could swear that he heard a whimper as it did, and a smirk found its way onto his face as he let the gauntlets fade away in a whisp of red reiatsu.

"Is it done?" A familiar voice asked, from her place behind him.

"Yup. He's back in my Inner World at the moment, being beaten on by Nejibana for firing that Cero at me, while cursing up a storm for not being allowed to do more than he did." Ichigo reported to Yoruichi, with a smile, relieved to have all of his Zanpakuto back safe and sound.

"That's a relief," Yoruichi sighed. "But you didn't have to fight him on your own!" She continued, while directing a scowl at the hybrid.

"But you did need to get the others to Fourth Division." Ichigo countered. "Are they all okay, by the way?"

"Hmph." Yoruichi huffed. "They're all going to make a full recovery, but that's not the point!"

"What _is_ that point?"

"You owe me an apology." The dark-skinned woman crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes to emphasise this point. "I was worried about you, because you're such a dummy."

"Okay. I'm very sorry." Ichigo said, without preamble. Yoruichi's expression did not change, and so he continued in an uneasy tone. "I'm guessing that wasn't enough..."

"Of course not. Obviously you have t-"

"Lady Yoruichi!" A new voice interjected, suddenly, as the Captain of Squad two arrived after being directed here by the member of her squad that caught sight of the purple-haired goddess.

"Bitch!" Yoruichi cursed, frustrated that her plans had been foiled yet again, and expressing an uncharacteristic amount of frustration because of it.

"L-Lady Yoruichi?" Soi Fon's tone was now one of worry, believing that her ex-mentor had been directing that word at her in an insult. She was only half correct, as Yoruichi was swearing mostly as a curse, instead of an insult

"Hmph." Again out of character, the woman vanished without another word, even going so far as to glare at Ichigo for their being interrupted yet again. This left nothing but air between Soi Fon and Ichigo, who had previously been obstructed by Yoruichi, and who Soi Fon did not detect due to the Hollow energy in the air

"I-Ichigo?" Soi Fon squeaked, suddenly red, and vanished after her mentor in a burst of her own Shunpo. Needless to say, this was even stranger, from Ichigo's perspective, than Yoruichi's outburst.

"Okay... there's got to be something in the water." Ichigo reached what he believed to be the only logical conclusion, before thinking of another reasonable explanation for how _weirdly_ the two had acted. "I bet Mayuri or Kisuke've been cloning them!" He exclaimed, and he, too, vanished in a blur of speed. The Zanpakuto that would have been able to explain the situation to her oft-dense wielder was otherwise engaged in beating up Hichigo. Ichigo's other spirits were no more intelligent about the fairer sex than he. Even Kikoo was not very good at interpreting the acts, as she was not used to the actions of people in general.

-()()()-


	22. Yoruichi and Soi Fon Chat

**Okay, here's ****_another_****chapter of Savage. That's the better part of 20k words in the past week or so, and I'm honestly surprised how much I've been writing for this one story. I enjoy it, of course, but I normally flit between fics far more often than this, and I don't expect to keep updating at this rate simply because I'd rather not overtake my PJO fic with this one as well as my Harry Potter fic, sicne they've ****_both_****been out for longer than Savage.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter, and that you forgive me for a certain part of it that I didn't really like writing (I really like Soi Fon, or I wouldn't be writing with her as one of the main characters) and know that it will, eventually, be made right. I'm aware that there's some flawed logic in that conversation, and I did that on purpose!**

**Let me know if you've enjoyed it, please, through Follows, Favourites and Reviews.**

**-()()()-**

**Hichigo/ Bleached Zangetsu (**It's inconvenient to call both Zangetsu)

_Old Man Zangetsu_

Nejibana

-()()()-

While Ichigo was trying, and failing, to have an argument with Nemu Kurotsuchi at the entrance of the barracks of Division 12 about whether the odd actions of Yoruichi Shihoin and Soi Fon were down to something her _father_ did, the two females in question were stood, awkwardly, in the office of the Second Division's Captain; an office that both had occupied.

Soi Fon was stood behind her desk, trying to decide whether she should sit down, and what message that would give to Yoruichi. She did not want to give the impression that she was _trying_ to be in control of this conversation that may well be a confrontation, but she also did not like the idea of meekly surrendering to her ex-mentor after the older woman had called her a Bitch for no discernible reason. Yoruichi already had the upper hand, since she had been the one to pick the office as their meeting place; Soi Fon had tracked her Reiatsu to the barracks, and Yoruichi had been leant against the far wall, as she was now, when the shorter woman appeared. As if that was not enough, Soi Fon could still feel the heat on her cheeks that told her the blush that Ichigo's sudden appearance induced had not faded properly at this time. Her authoritativeness did not benefit from the addition of burning red flesh.

Yoruichi, meanwhile, was glaring at her protege, and had been since Soi Fon had arrived. She was not _necessarily_ angry with Soi Fon; it made sense for the girl to interfere, Yoruichi was certainly not _happy_ about the situation. Her eyes narrowed further upon the current captain making her decision, and sitting down behind her desk without a word. In return, Yoruichi walked closer to the table, and decided to turn the tables as she put her hands on her hips and turned the glare on full force.

All of a sudden, Soi Fon felt like a child in need of a scolding.

"I thought I taught you better than this, Soi Fon," Yoruichi said, disappointed. Her choice of words certainly did not help Soi Fon with aforementioned feeling. "I did not expect you to be so inconsiderate. So... _selfish_." She shook her head, and turned a sad gaze on the girl sat before her. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

"I'm sorry, Yoruichi-sama." Soi Fon said, and she hung her head in shame.

"And I'm sorry to say that you should be." Yoruichi gave a fake, sad smile. "You won't get anywhere in likfe if you continue to only think of yourself."

"I... I did not think that I was being selfish, Lady Yoruichi. Please forgive me." Soi Fon looked up, with a pleading gaze.

Yoruichi turned, with a sigh, and walked back to the wall she had been leant on. Imagining that there was something interesting on the wooden surface, she stared at it in order to give Soi Fon the impression that she was deep in thought on whether or not to forgive her ex-protege. This, in turn, increased the guilt that Soi Fon felt, despite having no idea what she had done wrong.

"I can... in time." Was Yoruichi's reply, as she turned golden eyes back onto the black haired girl sat behind the desk with desperate eyes that had, for a brief moment, gained a spark of happiness only to be crushed under Yoruichi's heel at the continuation of her sentence. "I can only hope that you won't do it again."

"Th-Thank you, Yoruichi-sama." Soi Fon bowed her head to show her gratitude, and then froze. "U-Umm, Yoruichi-sama?"

"Yes, Soi Fon?" Yoruichi asked, still without a smile.

"I-I am sorry if this sounds rude, but what is it I did to upset you so?" She asked, in confusion.

"Was I not clear enough?" Yoruichi walked forwards, and took the seat in front of the desk, her golden eyes meeting the grey of Soi Fon's as she did. "I always tried to teach you to share," She ignore the fact that this had never been one of their lessons, and pressed on. "And your actions in ruining my moment with Ichigo suggests that you have not learned this lesson."

"..." Soi Fon blinked at Yoruichi, her face expressionless.

"But I am glad to head that you won't do it again in the future." Yoruichi gave a small smile to the girl, as Soi Fon's mouth began to open and close much like a goldfish.

"You..."

"Yes, Soi Fon?"

"You... and he..."

"Well, not yet," Yoruichi admitted with a shrug. "But we've been dancing around it for a while now, and I _would_ have kissed him had you not interrupted." At this, she directed a small, mostly playful, scowl at Soi Fon sat across from her.

"NO!" Soi Fon exclaimed all of a sudden.

"No?" Yoruichi blinked, confused. She smiled at her student, and continued. "What do you mean n-"

"No! I won't let you... and him..."

"Oh, Little Bee..." Yoruichi shook her head, making an assumption. "Isn't it time that you got over your crush?"

"Got over it?" Soi Fon repeated, her temper fading, briefly, in exchange for confusion. "I've only-"

"I mean, I know that we've only been reunited for a few weeks," Yoruichi continued, kindly. "But I would have thought that your attraction would have faded in the century between my leaving and now."

"N-No, th-that's not what I meant." Soi Fon denied, red in the face.

"Oh?" Yoruichi blinked. "Oh, there's no reason to be _shy_ about it, Soi, I don't mind. In fact, I encouraged it when I was still here because it was one of the few times you seemed happy, when you were drinking in my appearance."

"No! That's not what I was talking about!" Soi Fon interjected, interrupting the woman's slightly narcissistic rant.

"I've already told you, there's no need to deny it, Little Bee. It wouldn't work between us, of course, but that's no reason to deny that you like me." By this point, Soi Fon heavily resembled a strawberry.

"No! I'm not... _denying_ it. I-I _did_ have a crush on you," She swallowed nervously. "I might _still_ have a _little_ one, but that's not why I was saying no! I-Ichigo's... he's the first man I... the first person I might..."

"The first person you might..." Yoruichi raised an eyebrow. "Love?" Soi Fon reddened further. "Really?" She gasped, and a grin spread across her face. "Oh! That's wonderful, you've picked a wonderful... wait... _Ichigo_?" She suddenly realised who they were talking about, and her brow sank into a frown. "So you meant you didn't want someone to be with _him_?" Soi Fon managed a nod.

"I... He's..." Soi Fon gasped out, unevenly.

"You can't love him already, Little Bee," Youichi shook her head. "You must just be infatuated." She said, with a slightly condescending smile.

"_I know that_." Soi Fon hissed, suddenly, as she exercised some great control to catch her breath. "But it's the first time I've felt like this! He makes me feel..." A thoughtful frown scrunched up her face, and Soi Fon threw her arms in the air. "I don't know! I've known him for so little time, and I just feel... _good _when he's around. Like I'm _safe_ again." She closed her eyes, and thought hard. "I didn't even realise it was _like that_ until he fought his Zanpakuto! I just knew I liked being around him, and that he wouldn't leave my thoughts since that day you and I fought. When he... ah... held me against him." She mumbled something under her breath that, to Yoruichi, sounded like 'not even in my sleep', but she chose to ignore that. "Then, he had to go and show that he was _strong_. Able to match me, I'm certain, and I haven't seen his true power, I am just as sure of that."

"It still sounds like a crush to me, Soi Fon." Yoruichi said. A lie, but one she felt compelled to tell. "Obviously you have _some_ feelings for him, but it's a bad idea to rush things like this when you're so... inexperienced. He could hurt you, both emotionally and, in certain regards, physically."

"Do you honestly believe that?" Soi Fon questioned, disbelieving. "That there is any chance of Ichigo hurting someone he l... cares for?"

"I... stranger things have happened, Little Bee. Besides, there are ways that he cold hurt you unintentionally. From what I have seen, he is quite... large, and you have always been petite." Yoruichi commented, with a look that told Soi Fon to _think_ about what she was saying.

"Th-That's not what I meant!" Soi Fon spluttered out. "And that could be overcome!"

"Yes, but Ichigo might not have the patience for such things. What about if he chose someone else instead of you?" All of a sudden, Yoruichi felt a pang of guilt at her selfishness. That she had said this, despite knowing for a fact that Ichigo was not the type to act in such a piggish manner, to try to get Soi Fon to stop sabotaging her time kissing Ichigo made Yoruichi feel terrible. She, too, liked him; more than she could believe, but they could have had a _rational_ conversation on the matter, instead of her coming very close to _attacking_ her friend because of jealousy that Soi Fon had already kissed Ichigo, and frustration that she had twice been interrupted in attempts to do the same.

That comment struck home for the Captain, who steeled her face into a mask to hide the hurt. _That_ had been the reason she had most hated the idea of Yoruichi kissing Ichigo, for who, after having contact with the Goddess of Flash, would ever pay attention to _her_? Yoruichi was _perfect_, while she was angry and... and _boyish._ She did not have Yoruichi's curves; did not have her flirtatious nature.

No wonder Ichigo had not kissed her back.

With that, Soi Fon's hopes died, and she made a decision to avoid Ichigo at all costs while this rebellion was going on and, after that she would find some way to get rid of these irritating feelings.

"Please do not court Kurosaki-san any more before this rebellion is done, Lady Yoruichi," Soi Fon requested, her voice cold as she slipped on the mask of her Captaincy again. "After that, I will do what I can to remove these affections from my being, and you may do as you wish."

Yoruichi blinked, and the girl was gone. She had a horrible feeling about that. With guilt in her expression, Yoruichi looked out the window, and found that the sky had darkened into night without her notice, and that only the smallest amount of moonlight shone on her face; the light was dulled by a thin layer of clouds, and the moon seemed... _disapproving_, somehow, of the conversation's outcome. Maybe that was just Yoruichi's conscience, though.

Neither she, nor Soi Fon, was aware of the small voice in the latter's inner world screaming her objections to her wielder's conclusion. Suzembachi _would_ give the silly Shinigamis a piece of her mind as soon as she got the chance.

-()-

Elsewhere, Ichigo had been hit by a wave of fatigue, telling him that it was night-time, and so was heading back towards the Shiba household, while tuning out the words of his Zanpakutos with a grimace at how loud they were being.

**'BASTARD!' **Hichigo exclaimed, not for the first time. '**STOP POKING ME YOU BITCH!'** He demanded.

'Why would I, you Neanderthal?! You could have killed Ichigo with that attack!' Ichigo knew, by this time, that _poking_ meant that Njiebana was stabbing Hichigo with her Shikai form and, based on the footsteps that were echoing through his mind, was fleeing from her wrath.

'**I didn't though! SO PISS OFF!**' Hichigo roared.

'You have not even apologised! I won't piss off until I have you on the end of a kebab! Kikoo has promised to roast you for me once I have you on the end of my trident!'

Ichigo couldn't help the smile that appeared on his face at the following, happy _chirp_ Kikoo gave at being included. Then, she cooed at the fact that she had made Ichigo happy, and that made him even happier. Ichigo was truly glad to have one Zanpakuto that was just so... pleasant. Calming.

'**HEY! FUCK YOU, KING!**' Obviously, Hichigo had heard that thought.

'Shut up, you imbecile! That is exactly the thing that annoys Ichigo!'

'**What **_**annoys**_**him, is having a HIGH MAINTENANCE BITCH in his head**!'

'You take that back!'

'**MAKE ME!**'

Ichigo was also amused by the squeal of pain that followed this exclamation from his inner Hollow. He could bet that that meant Nejibana had thrown her trident at Hichigo, and the three-pronged spear had found its mark.

'**YOU BITCH! I'M GONNA GUT YOU FOR THA-**'

Ichigo, shunpoing his way towards the Shiba compound, stumbled and fell upon a mighty, angry roar resounding in his head.

'**FUCK! I'M SORRY! Don't hurt me!**' And Hichigo had, somehow, hit Tabigarasu, and was now _literally_ running for his life. Tabigarasu wouldn't kill him _permanently_, but that was only because it was not possible for one of them to die, as they were bound to Ichigo. His Hollow would, however, be silent for a while if he was too slow to get away from the savage spirit.

Jesus, his head was a loony-bin.

-()-

Kukaku's greeting was as exuberant as ever, as Ichigo knocked on the door, if slightly less than those Ichigo was used to receiving in the Human World.

"Oniisan!" She yanked him into a hug, and Ichigo sighed. No matter what he tried, he could not convince Kukaku that he wasn't her brother, and so he relented and hugged her back. To be fair, though, it seemed that the title bothered him less now than it had in the past, simply because he was spending time in the Soul Society. That was the reason he believed, at least, since it was inspiring feelings of familiarity in him from his time as Kaien. Even so, he had not regained his memories, and that was rather annoying.

"Hi Kukaku," Ichigo returned, as he hugged the woman. As her arms tightened, Ichigo hastily added an honorific. "Chan. Hi, Kukaku-Chan." His not-sister's hold on him loosened, and she drew back with a smile that quickly fell away.

"What's the big idea?! Leaving without telling anyone is RUDE!" She raised her hand, and grabbed Ichigo's ear, inspiring a hiss of pain and pulling him inside the house and past the retainers that had announced his arrival. Soon enough, they reached the dining room, and Kukaku shoved him onto the ground before yelling, once again, at the top of her voice. "Ganju, ya dumb-ass, bring Oniisan some food!"

Ichigo didn't quite make out the returning shout, but Ganju soon arrived with a bowl of Ramen noodles.

"Where did ya go, Ichigo?" Ganju asked. He was better at separating Ichigo from Kaien than his sister, though he still held him in unreasonably high regard because of the similarities with his older brother.

"I was needed in the Seiretei," Ichigo replied. "The Zanpakuto were rebelling, and I had to search out some of mine."

"And you didn't think to let us know before now?!" Kukaku demanded.

"They kept me busy!" Ichigo replied, in an attempt at justification. "I had to round up three different spirits as well as talk with the captains and recover from being attacked by a treacherous Shinigami!"

"Bastards!" Ganju instantly replied, placing blame on the shoulders of Soul Reapers more than on Ichigo because of the grudge he still held.

"You could have stopped by to let us know! Or told us before you left!"

"This is quite far out of my way! And you were asleep when I left, and I thought it was just going to be a meeting with the Captains, not a full-scale rebellion, so I didn't want to wake you!" Ichigo scowled. "I was being considerate!"

"We were still worried about you!" Kukaku said, with a small glare.

"Well... sorry." Ichigo relented, realising that he hadn't actually apologised. "I didn't mean to worry you, and should have left a note or something before I left." He admitted, apologetically.

"Thank you," Kukaku smiled at her not-brother, and continued. "Now go get some sleep; you look like crap."

"Charming." Ichigo muttered, sarcastically, as he stood. "G'night." He waved a hand half-heartedly as he left the room, and walked straight to his assigned bedroom glad of the chance to get some more sleep. His body needed some rest, and Ichigo wanted to talk to Old Man Zangetsu about something relatively pressing; he would have spoken to him while conscious, had Nejibana, Hichigo and Tabigarasu not been rather _loud_.

-())(()-

"_Ichigo_." Zangetsu greeted, as Ichigo appeared in his inner world, as was typical of him while asleep. While he would occasionally just go to sleep in here as well; exhausted, Ichigo would generally converse with whichever of his inner spirits stayed up with him in order to become better attuned with them, though the extent of this with Tabgarasu and Kikoo had previously been limited. Because of this, the stoic man assumed that Ichigo would take the chance to properly converse with the two and was surprised when his wielder made a beeline for him, though he did not show it.

"Hey, Zangetsu," Ichigo smiled at the taller man. "How're you since you came back?"

"_I am fine, though it has been noisy in here since Hichigo returned._" He answered, without preamble. "_Why is it that you have sought me out?_" Zangetsu was somewhat separated from the others, as Nejibana and Kikoo conversed, and Hichigo continued to run from Tabigarasu.

"I wanted to talk to you about the Reiatsu manipulation that I managed to use during our fight. It's obviously useful, and all, but I have some questions before we get to training."

"_Ask whatever is on your mind_." Zangetsu knew Ichigo well enough to guess what he would be wondering, but it would be best to let Ichigo make the inquiries.

"Thanks. Well, I expect that everything'll be covered in the training, but there's one thing I want to make sure I ask. If I was to use it as a weapon, would the souls that fell to me be destroyed? Like with the Quincy techniques?" That was where the technique originated, after all, and this was something that made Ichigo... nervous.

"_That is up to you, Ichigo,_" Zangetsu began, with his typically stoic tone. "_It is rather simple to explain; you are a hybrid, and therefore have the Reaitsu of a Shinigami inside you. That means that you can act as a... converter in order to prevent the destructive nature. If you use your Reiryoku, any technique that you use will act as though it is Kido, and that includes Ceros as well as the manipulation of spiritual energy, and they will be purified._"

"Okay, so I can only use my own reserves?" Ichigo asked, not particularly bothered by that since he had such extensive amount of Reishi reserves, though it did limit him; he would not be willing to exterminate a soul, after all, unless there was _literally_ no other option lest they kill innocents, and people he cared about.

"_No, Ichigo,_" Zangetsu said, with a frown at the information that Ichigo was missing. "_What are the abilities of Quincy that you know? In broad terms?_"

"Uh, let's see... There are defensive techniques such as Blut Vein, variations of which can be used to attack as well, and they have their own speed technique... the prominent ability, though, would be the spiritual weapon formation. That's an exension of their ability to manipulate Reshi, right?" Zangetsu nodded, but maintained an expectant expression. "I'm missing something..." Ichigo assumed. He thought to himself, and rubbed his chin in thought as he searched his mind for what he had missed. "That would be...

"Oh! They can _absorb_ Reishi, can't they? At least at higher levels... that means that I can what? Filter the Reishi through my own body and change the nature so that it can purify?" He half-stated, half-asked. Zangetsu gained a small smile at the deduction, and nodded.

"_That is right,_" Zangetsu nodded. "_It will be slower, of course, than using the pure Reishi, but that means you can avoid destroying the souls. I know that you would dislike killing them, after all._" Zangetsu did not have the same reservations, nor did the other spirits, but they knew well that their wielder would not feel right in the destruction of a soul.

"Excellent," Ichigo grinned. "In that case, shall we get started in training? I expect that I'll be better able to master the techniques of the others if I learn how to manipulate Reishi properly, after all, so I reckon I should give it a priority for now." Ichigo reasoned. "And, more importantly, it'll help me be... _stable_."

"_It will, Ichigo._" Zangetsu nodded. "_Let us begin_."

The others gathered around the pair as Ichigo's instruction began, with Hichigo maintaining a wary distance from Tabigarasu, and shooting suspicious glances at the taller spirit.


	23. A Small Army

**Okay, here's another chapter of Savage that I have written quite quickly again because I felt like writing this instead of one of the other stories. I don't see any actual reason to justify it, but I am anyway.**

**Okay, this one begins on the path of fixing Yoruichi's actions, but... well, you'll see. I've also used this one to express my doubts about the small number of Zanpakuto spirits we saw, as I reckon that a good portion of the seated officers, while significantly weaker than Lieutenants and miniscule compared to Captains, would have managed to talk to their Zanpakuto spirits.**

**Oh, and if I haven't made it painfully clear by this point, I don't like Omaeda.**

**I hope you enjoy the chapter, and let me know through Follows, Favourites, and reviews.**

**-()()()-**

**Hichigo/Pasty Zangetsu**

_Old man Zangetsu_

Nejibana

-()(())()-

Yoruichi was such a Bitch.

She knew that, and thought she had changed! She truly did, but _nobody_ could be friends with Urahara for as long as she had and not pick up a disgusting habit of manipulation. One that she had, also, believed she'd kicked until the day before, when she went ad fucked everything up.

In retrospect, the Goddess of Flash could _see_ the hurt in Soi Fon's eyes as she suggested that Ichigo would not like her, and Yoruichi felt like throwing up when she remembered that moment.

Perhaps she would have, but the situation surely would not improve if vomited on the girl she came here to apologise to. Maybe if she puked on Omaeda instead...

No. She had to actually _say_ the words. Yoruichi Shihoin had to put aside her undeniable pride, and _apologise_ to Soi Fon. It should not have been such a daunting task, and would not have been had she not had a sinking feeling that, by doing this, she would give up any chance of being with Ichigo; and she _so_ wanted to be with him. Not just in a physical sense, though that thought was a pleasant one, but because, the more she thought about it, the more she became certain that her feelings for the human ran _deep_. That his very _nature_ appealed to her. The only reason it was so much more... crippling for Soi Fon was that the stoic captain had so few feelings ordinarily, or kept a tight hold on those she did have, that the emotions were extraordinary in contrast, but that was no justification for the way Yoruichi had behaved. Nor was the bad mood she had been, now that Yoruichi thought about it with a calm mind.

And that was the reason that she was currently stood with Soi Fon inside the division, fully intending to apologise for what she had said.

"Soi-" She attempted to begin, and her ex protege interrupted.

"Yoruichi-sama," Soi Fon greeted, likely from force of habit. "I am glad to see that you are joining us."

"Joining you? In what?" Yoruichi was briefly distracted.

"We have been charged with locating the Zanpakuto of the lower-ranked officers," Soi Fon explained. "And rounding them towards the Seventh-Division Barracks where they will be met with their wielders. The majority of the captains will be, at the same time, locating their own Zanpakto in order to be at full strength for what will either come later today, or tomorrow, when we must free Head-Captain Yamamoto."

"O-Oh, okay," Yoruichi had not known anything of this, as she had not seen a captain since the day before. "But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about. I just wanted to tell you that I'm s-"

"Move out!" Soi Fon barked, cutting off the ex-captain and signalling her Division members to begin their mission. The petite captain vanished in a burst of Shunpo, and Yoruichi was left stood talking to empty air.

"Sorry..." Yoruichi huffed, and a small scowl appeared on her face. She was in the wrong, but Soi Fon was being pretty darn rude herself.

-()-()-()-

At the same time as Yoruichi turned on the spot and followed the girl she was trying to apologise to, Ichigo was rising from his bed far from refreshed after the exerting training session he had had inside his inner world. It had both tired him, as he was expending Reiryoku far more quickly than he did even in fights because he was not great at siphoning off the small amounts that were necessary, and the failings that were prominent throughout, in overcharging the techniques he was trying to use and struggling to draw any of it back into his reserves, had also frayed his nerves. Ichigo had not thought to get some genuine rest, by letting his subconscious move onto less-meaningful matters, until it was less than a hour before he ought to wake up, since today would no doubt be as busy as the last, and so Ichigo was damn-near exhausted.

It would surely be beneficial, but it was hard to see that fact as he grumbled, yawned, and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as best he could. As he pulled on his unique uniform, and cursed as he managed to push his head through one of the sleeve-holes, and the material ripped as he pried it off him. With a grunt of annoyance, Ichigo decided he's have to release a sword once he was inside the Seiretei; he could put it off on the off-chance one of his not-siblings would be walking past, as the more unrestrained state of his Reiatsu may well be crushing for them with their lack of spiritual pressure.

Ichigo popped into the kitchen to say goodbye to his not-siblings on his way out of the Shiba compound, something that went fine, although he forced himself to ignore the not-sisterly look that crossed Kukaku's face as he did so, and did not delay him any more than could be expected.

As soon as he stepped out of the house, Ichigo vanished in a single Flash Step that brought him a good portion of the distance between his starting point and the Seiretei. He paused briefly, with a frown on his face. Something felt w_rong_ somehow. Like he was venturing into a trap, but the hybrid didn't have the luxury of waiting for the storm to pass, and so Ichigo pressed on with gusto, and a caution in his eyes that was rare for the generally hot-headed man.

That feeling, though, was not enough to prepare Ichigo for what was to come. A wholly unexpected encounter that would prove nearly fatal for both him and those around.

-()()-

"I thought this lot were meant to be _weak_!" Yoruichi exclaimed, to her ex-pupil at her side. The two, undeniably the strongest present, were doing what they could to protect the ranked and unranked members of the Second Division. Even Soi Fon, who was extremely cold to her subordinates, had to admit that this situation was not their fault. That they had no chance against the enemy at hand.

"So did I!" Soi Fon barked back at her mentor with some hint of anger at her and at the formidable task at hand. "I don't understand what's going on!" She called to the woman, as Yoruichi landed a vicious kick on the temple of one of the adversaries. It should not have been a death blow, and the exhile was not willing to restrain her strength any more than she had been, since the chainsaw-looking blade could have landed a fatal blow on one of the pair still standing, had it hit. "None of the Zanpakuto belong to high-ranked officers, how are they this strong?!"

"We don't have time to speculate, Little Bee! Let's just hope that the cavalry finds us in time!" She yelled, as Soi Fon landed her own blow, and sent one of the Zanpakuto, a lanky, greasy haired figure, into the stomach of a ripped canine-man at the front of the crowd. Yorucihi caught what the arm of a blue-dressed woman and slammed her forehead into the bridge of her nose. The Zanpakuto fell back, stunned, and Yoruichi's following kick took her out of the fight in an instant.

"Who'll be able to help us here?! The other captains are searching for their own Zanpakuto!" Soi Fon's sword had been drawn at this point, and she slashed it across the torso of one of the Zanpakuto near her, before plunging it through another's stomach. They may not survive the blows, but the ruthless captain did not care if the Shinigami failed to reclaim their blades. They had not managed yet, so they were obviously not competent.

There was a lull in their conversation as they were forced to focus on facing off against half a dozen opponents each; the spirits were numerous and had clearly decided to take advantage of that fact.

"Don't worry captain!" Omaeda staggered to his feet, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth after a sledgehammer had met his sizeable gut. "I can still help!" He yelled, and lunged forwards with his own blade drawn. he did not have his Shikai, despite forces managing to capture it, after his time with Mayuri Kurotsuchi but Soi Fon had not bothered to ask why. Omaeda entered the fray, diving into a group of Zanpakuto, and let out a roar of challenge.

It was cut off, as one of the spirits slammed its hilt into the back of his head, and the Lieutenant fell to the floor unconscious.

"Kami, I hope that wasn't the cavalry." Yoruichi joked half-heartedly, as a blade nicked her side and she backed off a step when the group, whose number she had reduced by half, received their own reinforcements. Soi Fon had the same problem, as she replied.

"The issue is still there, that there are very few people who can offer aid! We need substantial reinforcements to be allowed opportunity to escape!" Soi Fon exclaimed, without humour.

"Well," Yoruichi swayed like a tree in the wind, and avoided a stab from a western-style short sword. "There's always Ich-" She was cut off by a scream of surprise, from the other end of the battlefield, as the man in question appeared. "Ichigo! Good of you to join us!" Yorcuichi called. With the addition of another captain-level fighter, their odds had risen. Soi Fon's brow fell into a frown at his appearance, or the hurt that came with it, more specifically, and she focused on the fight.

"What's going on?!" Ichigo punched a Zanpakuto in the face, as he drew an O-Katana from its place at his hip and blocked a strike that had been aimed at his neck. "How are they this organised?!"

"Intel suggests that they found out we were coming, and banded together to cause the most trouble possible!" Yoruichi replied, quickly. The Zanpakuto renewed their attack, frustrated by the conversation that was going on amidst the battle.

"Okay, but how the fuck are they this strong?!" Ichigo exclaimed, as one of them showcased this very strength by almost catching him off guard, and pushing him back a step with some effort.

"We don't know!" Yoruichi yelled, frustrated.

_'Ichigo!_' Zangetsu exclaimed. '_That one!_'

He directed Ichigo's attention to one of the Zanpakuto in the very centre of its group, who's eyes were closed, and had a dull green aura thrumming around it. His view was more unobstructed than the two Second Division captains, current and past, and so it made sense for him to see it first. He made to call out to his two allies, only to be interrupted by a shout from Soi Fon.

"Ichigo!" She cried, as a gap opened between the two. "Behind you!"

The captain's blood froze, as he twisted on the spot, and she knew that Ichigo would not be fast enough to defend himself as he gained a look of panic. She was sure that he had not sensed the enemy, as she recognised the syringe-looking weapon in the gaunt-cheeked man's hand. It was the weapon of one of her squad; one that would, in its wielder's hands, a recent addition to her squad with the remarkable ability to supress her Reiatsu in combat, make her opponent mildly nautious upon being stabbed with it. It was an interesting ability, as Soi Fon had realised upon investigating the nature of the attack and finding that it poisoned the Reiryoku of the victim, and one that inspired panic in the woman as she guessed what it would be like, supercharged by whatever was affecting the Zanpakuto.

Ichigo spun, but was slightly too slow and felt a pinprick on the side of his neck. It felt inconsequental, of course, and he simply backhanded his attacker and sent it flying into a wall. Ichigo turned back to the fight, and felt an odd sensation begin to form in his gut. He ignored it, and cut through another group of Zanpakuto, making sure to avoid fatal injuries if at all possible.

Then, a jolt of fatigue ran through him, and his arms dropped, unable to hold his blade up. A thin knife cut across Ichigo's chest, not a killing blow, and Ichigo pushed on. He kicked out, and sent the Zanpakuto to the floor. Next, his foot met the side of its head, and Ichigo stumbled back with a gasp. The world span around him, and he fell to a knee in exhaustion.

Through force of will, Ichigo made himself stand once again, and the longer of Zangetsu's blades blocked a large sword, made of ivory, that swung at him. He was too weak to hold it back, however, and Ichigo was thrown back to _slam_ through a wall.

Ichigo could feel his heartbeat in his eyeballs, as the spirit, a red-skinned Minotaur from what Ichigo could see, wandered over towards him, intending to finish him off. It had a cocky swagger in its step, as though Ichigo was not poisoned, and this was his victory. The spirit with the syringe owned this victory, or would if Ichigo was willing to give up and die at the hand of the bastard that had beat him through such trickery.

The world around him slowed to a crawl, as this thought occurred to him and Old Man Zangetsu took control of his perception and whispered to his Wielder.

'_Ichigo_,' Zangetsu began. '_You know that you have been poisoned, but you can overcome this situation, just as you have everything else. You cannot be afraid, or you will not move forwards._' Ichigo's face stretched into a grin, and Zangetsu sensed his amusement at the saying easily. '_You know this, and that is good. Terror cannot be allowed to hold dominion over you. Now _think_. You are in your Soul Form. What can be poisoned?_'

Trust Zangetsu to make this a teachable moment. Ichigo smirked at the thought, and he contemplated the subject. It would be unlikely for a Zanpakuto to have the ability to poison his bloodstream so quickly, though it would not be impossible, and Zangetsu's question suggested that something so obvious was not the answer. Plus, it did not feel as though his blood was affected. No, it felt...

Like his Reiryoku had been poisoned. Ichigo's grin grew, and he twitched his head in an imitation of a shake at the fortune of it happening today that was countering the bad luck of being poisoned in the first place. As he closed his eyes, and felt out the deep pool of power that was being corrupted, he heard screams of worry from Soi Fon and Yoruichi. That was not a pleasant sound, but Ichigo forced himself not to focus on that.

He was lucky. The poison had not corrupter all of his reserves, only those that were the easiest for him to tap into. The _water_ at the top of his _pool_, to use an analogy. Even though it was far more complex than that. In reality, it had not penetrated deep enough into his being to reach anything but the readily available energy. If Ichigo had had to expend, and replenish, all of the energy, he may well have flattened the landscape around him, and killed the Zanpakuto. It would even have had permanently adverse affects on the captains, who had obstacles between them and Ichigo, and that would be extremely unfortunate.

Both of the Second-Division heads' fighting picked up in intensity as they saw the Zanpakuto near the man they harboured affections for, as they tried to get a chance to Shunpo to Ichigo's aid. Unfortunately, their opponents were not letting up in the slightest, and were refusing to give them this chance and, so, Yoruichi Shihoin and Soi Fon watched helplessly as the spirit raised his blade, and prepared to cut Ichigo down without mercy.

Only to be stopped by an eruption of violent, sapphire Reiatsu, tinged with a sickly green, slamming into him from the supposedly defenceless, seemingly unconscious, hybrid. The fight stopped, as everyone turned to look at the explosive sight, at the same time as the Zanpakuto Spirit stumbled away, and fell to his knees under the immense pressure that Ichigo unknowingly applied. The green faded away, leaving Ichigo's energy uncorrupted, and his eyes, the ordinary warm brown replaced by the brightest of blues, snapped open. The flow of energy was cut off, like some-one twisted a tap and shut off a waterfall, and Ichigo was on his feet and sucking in a breath of air like he had not had one for months.

Yoruichi's eyes widened. Not at the amount of Reiatsu; captains sometimes let off a greater amount when in battle, particularly when they needed to release Bankai and go all out, but at the... _feel_ of Ichigo's energy as he let it loose. It was _strange_. Heavy, with a _different_ pressure to what you would expect from the sheer quantity; more... natural, somehow. Carefully controlled, as it focused its assault on the looming threat, yet somehow wilder than even the Vizards, though it was of a similar nature to the Vizards, at first glance, without the obviously Hollow feel. At second glance, it was not the same. She was sure that, if Ichigo donned his mask again, it would take on that feel, but the _rage_ it had, as it leapt at the Zanpakuto, was not the same as that she had seen before. Like it wanted to _savage_ him. To claw at him. To tear him asunder, and reduce him to nothingness. Or perhaps, she thought, as she caught sight of the scorched wall behind Ichigo, through the gap his body had created, it wanted to _burn him_.

The kneeling Zanpakuto did not stand as the pressure faded away, as his energy was sapped. It was not enough to kill him, and would not work if he had not been so indefensible, but it was just the pick-me-up Ichigo needed to begin to recover from the expenditure of Reiatsu. He could not do anything more overt in the presence of so many people, a lot of whom he did not trust and that would soon report to Shinigami that he also did not trust; the Zanpakuto he was leeching from would not know what was happening, and would no doubt put it down to the intimidating affects of his wild Reiatsu.

Ichigo resisted the egging on he received from his inner world to kill the Zanpakuto that had tried to kill him, and instead his gaze, the blue fading away and returning to his natural caramel tone, locked on the man Zangetsu had pointed out. The Zanpauto that was still unaware of what was going on around him even after the display Ichigo had just given. Ichigo, after a few seconds deliberation, decided on a course of action and vanished in a blur of Shunpo.

Soi Fon felt relief cloud her senses, and the next thing she knew Ichigo was stood behind a frozen Zanpakuto with his arm raised and slightly cocked back. What was he- Ichigo slammed his elbow into the spirit's head,a and it fell to the floor in a lump. She did not understand why Ichigo had done this, and definitely did not understand why it prompted a chorus of curses from the Zanpakuto gathered, but acted on the distraction. Her foot flashed, and struck one of the Spirits in the gut.

"They're weaker!" Soi Fon exclaimed, with surprise. She was understandably shocked, but quickly took advantage of the situation on the off chance that the strength would return to her opponents. Yoruichi confirmed her ex-protege's finding with a likewise surprised yell, and jumped into the fight once more as Ichigo turned, and found that he was surrounded by enemies. That was what he got for Shunpoing into the centre of their small-army.

"Well, shit." He said, with a grin that contradicted the words. "I guess I'll have to release _some_ of my power, at least." Ichigo was happy with that prospect; he was annoyed that they had come so close to hurting him, and it had been too long since he fought with his soul intact. The O-Katana in his hands was replaced by a slightly smaller blade with a deep blue hilt. "You guys are unlucky, huh?

"_Surge, waters and heaven! Nejibana!_" The Katana spun in Ichigo's grip, elongated into the trident that was its Shikai, and his smile grew at the sudden flood of water.

With a spin, a wave of water slammed into the group in front of him. A second later, those behind were likewise swept away and Ichigo's trident glinted in the sunlight as his grin fell somewhat. They had fallen sooner than he'd anticipated. Barely even a warm-up. Ichigo wondered just how much had their power had been boosted. It would be an extraordinary asset, he was sure, had the Shinigami that owned the Zanpakuto had enough power to fortify it even slightly but, alas, it had fallen to a single blow. That told Ichigo that they would be no higher than a Sixth seat. That, in turn, meant they wouldn't be able to keep their ability up, and so would not be worth wasting the resources protecting in the middle of battle, since the Shikai's power required their entire concentration.

Ichigo was relieved to see that, while he had sent them flying with the waves Nejibana produced, the Zanpakuto were only down, not out. With a few exceptions that he assumed belonged to the lowest powered officers that had communicated with their Zanpakuto and therefore achieved Shikai.

Ichigo ran forwards, as they were climbing to their feet, and Nejibana's body, just before the drill, _thudded _into the head of one of his enemies and it fell to the floor with a glazed look in its eyes. Next, Nejibana stabbed forwards, and stabbed into the shoulder of one of the spirits, who let out a cry of pain. Ichigo pulled it out, and the Zanpakuto fell to the floor.

It would probably survive, but Ichigo was bothered by the free-flowing blood that spilled from the wound. He was rapidly gaining battle-experience, but he did not know much of how to fight battles against large numbers of, quite frankly, weak opponents. It would be foolish to underestimate them, when he was surrounded, and refrain from releasing one of his swords but it was fast-becoming clear that using any more than a portion of his strength would cost some of his allies their primary method of fighting, and so he couldn't give into the blood-lust that was provided by Tabigarasu and Hichigo.

Ichigo sighed, and spun on the spot; channelling the abilities of Nejibana and summoning a great quantity of water that swept his enemies away, and crashed against the wall directly ahead of him with the Zanpakutos in tow. The Human-Shinigami turned on the spot and repeated the process, sans close-combat fighting, with the now-stood enemies he was suddenly facing. It was rather boring, against enemies that could not stand against the water that was produced with each swing, but Ichigo couldn't make it any more fun with enemies that he clearly outclassed.

Similarly to Ichigo, Yoruichi and Soi Fon had dealt with their, comparatively small, own groups of enemies and were now stood over them and watching Ichigo rest the trident on his shoulder as he looked expectantly at the Zanpakutos. When they didn't rise again, Ichigo grunted his annoyance and Nejibana returned to her katana form in a flash of blue light.

"Are you okay?" Ichigo asked, with a small amount of concern. He would have been more worried, had they not drastically weakened at the end of the fight. His brow sank into a frown upon seeing the minor injuries both Soi Fon and Yoruichi had sustained. He took a step forwards, in the moments before they answered.

"Fine, Ichigo." Yoruichi smiled at the look, and waved off his concerns. "Captain Unohana will be able to patch me up in a jiffy."

"They are unsubstantial, Kurosaki-san." Soi Fon replied, turning to look over her injured squad members. "I will inform Unohana-taicho that my subordinates require medical assistance." She vaished in a Flash Step, and Ichigo blinked. What the...

"Did I do something to upset her?" He asked Yoruichi, with a tone of confusion and, dare the exile say, hurt. Ichigo did not often show it when he was upset, but that cold reaction had been wholly unexpected after their friendship had been coming along swimmingly, and none of his spirits could think of something he'd done to hurt Soi Fon.

"No..." Yoruichi's smile faltered, and Ichigo's confused annoyance grew. "_You_ didn't." She, too, vanished, leaving Ichigo to stand watch over the unconscious Shinigami and Zanpakuto as he waited for someone to come and relieve him of the unwanted duty. Call him paranoid, but Ichigo had a nagging feeling that he was needed somewhere else.


	24. Kouga Kuchiki

**Okay, here's another chapter of Savage. I don't have a whole lot else to say here, other then that the Zanpakuto Rebellion arc is fast coming to an end. Oh, and the changes that have been more prominent in this arc will similarly be true in the Arrancar arc and beyond because I much prefer writing things where I have more control of the events and the order in which they occur. Plus, that way I can put in cliffhangers.**

**As for the whole love-triangle that's going on at the moment, that's going to be resolved a couple of chapters from now, I'm afraid that romance isn't going to play much (if any) of a part in this chapter and the next.**

**Byakuya isn't weak in this story, he just happened to have a vicious fight with Senbonzakura that I don't want to write, and that leaving out does no damage to the story in my opinion. That means that, unlike in the Anime, he is going to be soundly defeated Kouga simply because he doesn't have the energy to fight with anything near full strength. **

**I feel like someone'll complain about there being no description of Kouga; that'll come next chapter.**

**I hope you enjoy the chapter! Please let me know!**

**-()()()-**

Ichigo's suspicion that he was needed somewhere else continued to bug him for the hour that he spent Flash-Stepping across the Seiretei in search of the remaining Zanpakuto. He ignored it, however, as he found half a dozen of the enemies; none of whom put up enough of a fight that he needed to release one of his Zanpakuto, and subdued them before carting the Sword-Spirits back to the Fourth's barracks to await their wielders to reclaim their Zanpakuto. Ichigo was setting out on his seventh trip when he found out that it was more than just a feeling, as a black butterfly appeared, hovering, before him. The human-Shinigami blinked once at it before holding a finer out in offer of a perch; the Hell-butterfly landed, and a familiar tone was relayed to the substitute.

"Kurosaki-san!" Urahara Kisuke's voice reached him. "How are you on this fine day?" Ichigo scowled; why bother asking, when it was a wholly one-sided conversation. "I am fine, thank you for asking. Stop scowling at me, everyone has to exchange pleasantries, it's only polite!" Ichigo's scowl deepened, and he was about to dismiss the insect when the voice carried on. With a sigh, he decided that he ought to listen to the message in its entirety so that he could properly justify punching the hat-wearer in the face when he returned to the Human World, and to know how much of a beating Kisuke deserved.

"Now that our pleasantries, or at least mine, since you're too insolent to return them, are out of the way, we may get down to business. As you know, there is currently a rebellion taking place, in which the Zanpakuto spirits have expressed their unhappiness with their wielders. Thankfully, my Benehime has not succumb to the control of Muramasa, though she has told me that she felt a slight pull only a few hours hence." Ichigo was gritting his teeth, as he waited for the man to get to the point because, at the moment, he could not see one, and Urahara had a remarkable talent for annoying the substitute. "Of course, this pull compelled me to investigate, as I wondered whether it meant that the instigator of the rebellion had travelled to the Human World. And, if he had, what possible reason he would have to do so. Unfortunately, your friends had also sensed something was amiss, and had gone after Muramasa," Ichigo was suspicious of this, as his eyes narrowed at the butterfly. He had a feeling that Urahara may have sent his friends into the fray, for reasons known only to Kisuke, but that just meant that he'd receive an ass-kicking once Ichigo returned to the Human World.

"Muramasa displayed some remarkable abilities during the time I was able to perform any reconnaissance, and I bore witness to him summoning Hollows! I would very much like to know how he does such a thing, as it is unlike any Zanpakuto ability that I have ever heard, but I am afraid that I had to leave before I could see any more than Muramasa approaching a large, strange tree while your friends were forced to do battle with the Hollows that he summoned." Ichigo was not too bothered by the idea of his friends fighting Hollows, as he was certain they could handle any number of ordinary Hollows without trouble. "At the same time, Byakuya Kuchiki began to do battle with his own Zanpakuto. I do not know the details, I am afraid, but he found something significant in the sight of aforementioned tree and made an attempt to stop Muramasa, only to be intercepted by Senbonzakura who abandoned his task in preoccupying your friends. The fight did not seem to be going well for Kuchiki-taicho when I left.

"Oh! You must be wondering why I did not stay to help! I sensed disharmony in Benehime, and rightly suspected that she may have been being influenced by Muramasa. I am afraid, Kurosaki-san, that Benehime may have killed your friends if I had stayed, as she later revealed that that was exactly what was occurring. Anyway, I thought that you may have wanted to know of the situation as it is occurring in Karakura town." The man said that as if it was the final piece of information, and Ichigo prepared to head to the Senkaimon when the man continued, in a tone that strongly suggested it was an afterthought. "Oh, and quite a few of the Hollows are Menos Grande, just to let you know."

Ichigo snarled. Of course they were higher level Hollows. His friends would be able to handle a few Menos, of course, but a group of them meant that there would be a good number of Ceros. Ceros that Ichigo did not know for sure they would be able to avoid. Ichigo regretted the fact that he had never seen the strength of Orihime's shield at that moment, and that he had no idea how fast Chad and Orihime were. On top of that, he did not know how much damage Senbonzakura would have done to Ichigo's friends before his fight with Byakuya began, and his worry only increased.

"Oh, I am going to _kill_ Kisuke." He growled, and Shunpoed over to the only method of transport he would be able to use in order to intervene. At least for the moment.

-()()()-

"Hado #33, Soukatsui!" Rukia Kuchiki cried, and fired a bolt of blue energy at the nearest Menos, with a gasp. She really wished that she could have retrieved her Zanpakuto before this. If only Muramasa had not intervened at the end of the duel between wielder and Zanpakuto, then this fight would be a whole lot easier. With Sode no Shirayuki, Rukia would not be depleting her energy so quickly; she needed to send at least one Soukatsui at each Menos, and even that was not enough to ensure their masks would break. It was tiring, and Rukia's movements were becoming more and more sluggish as her Reiryoku reserves were being drained quite a bit faster than they could replenish.

That explained why, as one charged a Cero in its now-open mouth, Rukia's Shunpo was significantly slower than ordinary. She still evaded the Hollow attack, but stumbled at the force the subsequent explosion hit her with. Then, she raised her hand again, with ragged breath and launched another of the attacks at the inside of the Hollow's maw. She could purify this one even if the power of her Kido fell somewhat.

"Hado #33, Soukatsui!" After the attack landed, Rukia risked a glance at her Nii-sama, and her brow crinkled with concern as she saw him make an attempt to block an incoming spear moments long before it was in range of his sword. It was almost as if his depth-perception had altered, Rukia realised, as her brother's shoulder was pierced by the spear, and Kouga Kuchiki, the master of Muramasa that had run his own Zanpakuto through with a sword, appeared in front of Byakuya and wrenched the weapon out of her brother's torso. Rukia swallowed her worry, and turned back to her own assigned task.

The sooner she could neutralise the threat of the Hollows, the sooner she could make some attempt at helping her older brother with his fight, not that Byakuya would want to receive help, nor was Rukia certain that she would be much help in her current condition if Byakuya was unable to defeat his opponent. Perhaps... perhaps she could send for help. Urahara was very powerful, and he was in Karakura even now. He might be a viable form of reinforcement. Or, better yet, she could call _Ichigo_ for help. Unlike Kisuke, she was confident that Ichigo would answer her calls. If he could defeat Byakuya in his healthy state, then he would surely be able to defeat Kouga; Byakuya had gone into the fight badly hurt, after all, and that was the only reason her brother was losing. Rukia shook her head clear of these thoughts, realising that another high-level Hollow was about to fire its attack at her, and prepared to, again, Shunpo to safety.

"_Getsuga Tenso!_"

"Speak of the devil, and he shall appear," Rukia smiled slightly at the voice, as she murmured one of the sayings she'd picked up in the Human World. A crescent of blue energy eradicated the head of the Menos just about to fire, and Rukia was left staring at Ichigo, stood behind the Hollow as it dissolved into Reishi, stood with his dual-bladed Shikai in his hands. As always, he held the larger blade, heavily resembling a Khyber knife, in his right hand and the smaller, though still the length of his arm, in his left. On Ichigo's face was a concerned frown as he looked down at Rukia, who was breathing very heavily and had placed the tip of her sealed Zanpakuto against the ground to hold herself upright.

Rukia smiled up at him, in an attempt to reassure the Substitute, only for it to fall away in exchange for a look of panic as three of the Menos behind Ichigo's back charged Ceros. If he was taken by surprise by the attacks, there was no telling how much damage they could do.

"I-Ichigo!" Rukia yelled, her voice panic-stricken. "Behind you!"

Ichigo's concern gave way to a smirk as Rukia exclaimed her worry, and he rolled his eyes before hefting his Inner-Hollow's blade and holding it out to the side. Blue energy wrapped around it, and his arm, as he pumped some of his Reiryoku into the blade. It lit up in a brilliant glow just as the Hollows released their attacks with a roar that would, for most people, be terrifying. The strawberry-blonde hybrid spun in mid air, stood on his Reiatsu, and slashed the large Khyber knife horizontally as Hichigo cheered inside Ichigo's head.

"_Getsuga Tenso_." Ichigo grinned, as the attack lit up the sky with a massive crescent, and rocketed towards the three Hollows.

Rukia's eyes widened, as she saw that the attack was large enough to meet all three Ceros in the sky. The attacks struggled against each other for a moment, before all four erupted in an explosion of Reiatsu; she would have sworn that Ichigo's had done so first, purposefully, if she did not know ho much trouble Ichigo had controlling his Reiatsu. Rukia took a step back as the rush of air stung her eyes, and blinked away the sudden flow of water that came with the sting. In the space of that attack, Ichigo was gone and stood on the left of the furthest right of the three Menos Grande; his larger blade cocked back again and alight with Reishi.

From her place, Rukia did not hear Ichigo announce his attack again before the Getsuga Tensho leapt eagerly from his blade and cut through the first Hollow's head, mask and all, and charged towards the second even as the first Menos began to dissolve. The next fared no better, as it turned to face the attack. The crescent crashed into the mask, and shattered it with ease. Rukia swallowed, as she saw that the velocity did not seem to have slowed at all. The third Hollow actually managed to open its mouth in an attempt to charge a Cero before the attack bisected it's head, and it joined its fellows in rejoining the reincarnation pool. Rukia's jaw had fallen at some point in this attack, as Ichigo was standing nonchalantly as he sheathed the smaller of his blades by tucking it into the red sash at his waist.

Then, the shinigami girl became worried, and her mouth closed and set itself into a line of concern. Was it possible that the Getsuga would not stop before it managed to do damage to something of the Humans? Then, her amazement returned as Ichigo raised his left hand, fingers splayed, before clenching them into a fist. With this movement, the arc of energy that Rukia would have deemed uncontrollable slowed, sizzled, and faded away. Since when had he been able to do that?

"You okay, Rukia?" Ichigo asked, suddenly in front of her, and ran his eyes over her looking for injuries. The girl managed to nod in her current state, and Ichigo sighed. "That's good. What about the others? Chad? Innoue?"

"Y-Yes, they're fine." She nodded slowly. "Ah, I think. They're in the forest over there, but there were only a few low-level Hollows after them. I have faith in them to fight those off with relative ease."

"Yeah, I do too. I was only worried that they might've been facing Menos, or that maybe an Adjuchas had come through." Ichigo smiled at the answer, in relief, and then glanced over to the Menos that had now begun retreating. Obviously, they had some form of survival instinct that kicked in after seeing three of their fellows be decimated by a single attack "Hold on for a second, Midget. I'll give them an incentive to get out of here ASAP." Ichigo stepped forwards and raised both blades; running parallel to each other in a horizontal grip as Ichigo held them out to his right.

"_Getsuga Datsu_!" He swiped the blades across his body, and the enormous crescent of energy that was flung forwards quickly broke up into smaller projectiles. The bullets of Ichigo's Reiryoku shot towards the still-open Gargantas that the Menos were using for their retreat. Those that missed the Gargantas, and there were many as Ichigo did not bother to change any if the bullets' course, faded away soon after passing the tears. The Hollows wailed as good number met their targets, and the Gargantas slammed shut.

"That takes care of that." Ichigo nodded, and took Rukia's elbow before directing her to a tree and pushing her to the floor so that the girl would sit. "Now, where's Muramasa?" He asked.

"He's... injured." Rukia resisted the temptation to yawn, and then her violet eyes locked onto Ichigo's. "Nii-sama!"

"No..." Ichigo blinked. "I'm Ichigo." He corrected in a confused tone. "Do you have a concussion, Rukia?"

"No! Nii-sama's in trouble! He's fighting a traitorous Kuchiki, and he was already injured by Senbonzakura before his Zanpakuto joined forces with him!"

"Oh," Ichigo nodded, before shrugging and kneeling in front of Rukia. "Good for him. I'm more concerned about you than that bastard, though. Do you need me to call for a Fourth Division member? Or maybe go fetch Inoue?"

"I'm fine!" She attempted to shove Ichigo away, only to find she was unable to summon the strength. "Fine, I'm worn out after fighting so many Hollows without Sode no Shirayuki, but I'll recover soon enough! You have to help Nii-sama!"

"Why on earth would I help Byakuya? I've been searching for him to beat the living daylights out of the bastard all day." Ichigo said, looking baffled at the very idea.

"Please!" Rukia bypassed any argument she might give, and grabbed Ichigo by the arm with a weak grip. "Please help him! He's my only family, I can't... I can't let him _die_." She begged, while staring into his eyes. Ichigo sighed at the tactic, and scowled at his inevitable answer.

"Fine!" Ichigo relented. "But I'm still gonna kick his ass when we get back to the Soul Society!" He yelled at the girl that was forcing him to go help someone he really did not want to help, and then noticed that Rukia had fallen asleep as soon as he agreed; her breathing steady enough to reassure him that she was fine. "Tss. I'm not going to enjoy this." Ichigo commented.

'_Nor will we, Ichigo,_' Zangetsu answered. '_But a traitor to the Gotei 13 will not be likely to take our side in the upcoming war. It is a bad idea to allow a potential enemy to kill the Kuchiki captain. There is still a chance that he is an ally, after all. Not that I am suggesting you forgive him of the treachery he displayed in attacking you. I would recommend "putting a pin in it", as I believe humans say._'

'I agree, Ichigo. You should be patient. Byakuya is not going anywhere, but this traitor may be intending to escape. That cannot be allowed.'

'Fine. I guess that makes sense,' Ichigo nodded.

'**Just hurry up and start cutting on someone!**'

'Helpful as always, Hichigo.'

Ichigo took off in a burst of Shunpo, after checking that nothing was in the vicinity to threaten Rukia, headed for the island that he believed held Byakuya's Reiatsu signature. It was not far, fortunately, as the sight that greeted him let Ichigo know that his presence was urgently needed.

Byakuya had lost. That much was clear, even if the Captain himself was unwilling to give up his pride and admit such a thing, by the amount of blood that had stained the front of his badly torn-up Shihakusho and by the fact that Senbonzakura, in its sealed state, was shaking in his one handed grip; his left hand was hanging limp at his side, as he swayed ever so slightly. Kouga Kuchiki did not, however, seem in any rush to get on with finishing the Head of the Kuchiki clan off.

"You see? _This_ is my power!" Ichigo turned his attention to the man, who was dressed in the rags of a Shihakusho, with half a mask covering his nose, and holding an odd spear-axe weapon that Ichigo could not recognise. Perhaps this was his Shikai?

'_I do not believe so, Ichigo. I may be wrong, but I believe that this man must be Muramasa's wielder, or must have been before they were separated._' Old man Zangetsu commented on the situation at hand, with an odd tone to his voice that Ichigo did not have time to dwell on. Sympathy?

"I will return to the Soul Society, and will create a world in which I am accepted! Those with power RULE! You and the rest of your kind will LEARN THAT!" Ichigo frowned heavily at that, confused as he spotted Muramasa lying on the floor off to the side of the battle with a sword-wound in his stomach. "This is MY power! I am not a pathetic Soul Reaper that has to use his Zanpakuto as a CRUTCH!" Kouga Kuchiki announced, with a sadistic grin. "You will be the first of your order to die, but rest assured you will not be the la-"

"Hang on," Ichigo interrupted, as his grip tightened around the grips of his Zanpakuto. "I may have misunderstood," Ichigo tried his hardest to keep his voice steady, and was mostly successful. "But it _sounded_ like you have discarded your Zanpakuto. I assume that that is Muramasa, who is grievously injured, right? _Tell_ _me_ you did not do that." The very notion of hurting your Zanpakuto when there was any other option abhorred Ichigo, and so his anger was barely restrained, and then only by sheer force of will.

"I did," Kouga sneered over at his Zanpakuto, and then turned back to the orange haired man that had addressed him. "I had no need for a Zanpakuto that could not hear my voice. He paid the price for betraying me, by not answering my calls when I needed him most." Kouga stopped talking, though he would have been inclined to rant, as Ichigo's aura changed.

Kouga stared at the newly appeared Shinigami as the power he could feel from him spiked, and brown eyes lit up in a blue blaze, burning with hate.

"_Betraying you?_" Ichigo snarled. "You accuse him of betraying _you_? He has spent an eternity searching for you; trying to rescue _you_, and you greet him with violence for his loyalty, and you accuse _him_ of betraying _you_?!" His voice steadily rose in volume. "He is your Zanpakuto! He is a part of your SOUL, and you have KILLED HIM!" Ichigo's reiatsu, wild as ever as he stopped restraining it, flared and Kouga took a step back at the hate it contained.

"I did." Kouga's eyes narrowed. "And he deserved it. I do not need such a _pathetic weapon_."

And then Ichigo's Reiatsu snapped back to its restrained form as his hands shook, and the hybrid's voice lowered to no more than a whisper. Inside him, his Reiryoku was ready to be unleashed, in its full force, on Kouga Kuchiki; Ichigo was more ready to fight than he ever had been before. More willing to _kill_ than he had ever been before.

"A _weapon_? You think of him as only a _weapon_? He is a part of your soul. You should be willing to _die_ for him. _Anybody _that shows someone as despicable as you such loyalty deserves nothing less, and you will fulfill that duty here today. Zanpakuto and Wielder die side by side. He will not pass from this world alone."

"Kurosaki," Byakuya interrupted the conversation, in a hoarse voice. "This is my fight. Do not interfere." Ichigo turned a look of apathy on the man; one that resembled the indifferent mask that Byakuya had let slip at some point in the fight.

"I care nothing for your pride, Kuchiki. I hold you in contempt, and would happily kill you alongside your fellow _traitor_ had Rukia not begged me to save you. Now," Ichigo vanished in a blur of Flash Step, and appeared behind Byakuya. The man was not fast enough to move before Ichigo's arm snaked around his neck, and he pulled Byakuya into a sleeper-hold. "Go to sleep, and shut the fuck up."

Kouga watched bemused as Byakuya struggled weakly for a moment, and then went limp. Ichigo stepped away and allowed the Kuchiki head to fall to the floor in a manner unbecoming of a noble as he landed, face first, in the mud. Ichigo hooked a foot under his torso and flipped Byakuya over with a motion so that he would not suffocate.

"Now for you," Ichigo said, and even Kouga was slightly unnerved by the grin that spread across his face. "I have one thing to thank you for, before I put you down like the dog you are. I thought this would be boring, but now it promises to be _very fun_." The hybrid hissed. "I will _teach_ you the power of a Zanpakuto before you die. In your last moments, you will realise your mistake, and I will smile as I look down on your corpse. I love my Zanpakuto more than life itself, and _that _is why this is going to _hurt_.

"**_Bankai_**."

-()()()-

**Yes, I'm a bastard.**

**Yes, it's unfair to leave the chapter there.**

**Yes, I am very amused.**

**If it's any consolation, the next chapter will be out in the next couple of days. (Hopefully tomorrow, but I can't say for sure.)**


	25. Bankai

**Okay, here it is. I do hope you appreciate the fact that I've written all of this chapter today, pressing on despite not being all that enthused at some points. Not very long, but I wanted to get this out ASAP, and it didn't need to be any longer than it is.**

**It's made clear which Bankai is shown, but I've only shown some of its potential, especially at the end of the fight with Kouga. I've go to say, though, that Ichigo's Bankai was really pathetic compared to some of the others, and was used in ****_every_**** bloody fight, so I've changed that up quite a bit. Eventually, all of them'll be revealed, but that's going to take some time since Ichigo doesn't need them against a lot of opponents.**

**I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

**-()()()()()()-**

Ichigo Kurosaki's eyes shone with malevolence as he hefted Zangetsus' blades and held both out in front of him, crossed at the non-existent hilts, and his Reiatsu spiked with glee that was born of Hichigo's eagerness to rain hell on the traitorous Shinigami in front of them and solidified by Old Man Zangetsu's determination to avenge the same Shinigami's Zanpakuto, who had only shown the determination that a Zanpakuto owed to their wielder in his actions.

Kouga took an involuntary step back as Ichigo's Reiatsu skyrocketed and the blue energy swirled around the hybrid in a raging vortex. Ichigo's own sigh of relief, at finally accessing one of his final releases in an actual combat situation was swallowed by the hum of his Reiatsu as it attacked the world around him.

"**_Bankai_**." Ichigo grinned, and the Reiatsu retraced, wrapping around Ichigo for the briefest of moments before its owner consumed the pressure and his appearance _changed_. "_Tensa Zangetsu_**.**"

"That is your Bankai?" Kouga asked, with a frown. "I am all for mocking the Shinigami, but I find it insulting that you believe that such a pathetically small Bankai could do anything to harm me." Kouga's posture had relaxed as he looked at the technique of his opponent. "The Kuchiki Head," He nodded at Byakuya's unconscious form. "Called you Kurosaki. Is that your family name? I will make sure to carve it into your tombstone. And, who knows, I might hunt down any of your relatives at the same time so that they can join you in reincarnation." He grinned from beneath the half-destroyed mask as he mocked the interfering Shinigami.

"Not much of a talker, eh?" Kouga asked, as Ichigo did not answer. "Or do those bandages muffle your voice? Speak up!" He ordered, as Ichigo did not respond.

And then his opponent was gone.

"What th-Argh!" Kouga began to ask, before interrupting himself with a yell of pain. He flew forwards, with blood running down his back from the long, vertical, shallow cut that had been dealt to him. Kouga managed to twist in midair, and found himself looking at Kurosaki, stood where Kouga himself had been moments before, with his blade held in an effortless grip. Kouga's eyes narrowed as he tried to understand the speed with which he had been attacked, and Ichigo's eyes shone with hatred as he remained silent.

Ichigo's appearance somewhat mirrored that of Kouga, the traitorous Shinigami noted as he righted himself and landed with a slight skid. Both were wearing ragged robes, though Kouga's were literally rags after so long inside his prison-coffin, but the hybrid's were as black as the sword sat in his grip, contrasting greatly to what he was wearing beneath them. Kouga could see only a hint of the grey-white bandages that were tightly wrapped around Ichigo's torso, but they were far clearer on his left arm, as the kimono Ichigo was wearing was sleeveless just like his ordinary uniform, and on his face as it was uncovered except for the bandages that wrapped around his neck and the lower half of his face to leave his nose and brown eyes visible.

Ichigo's right arm, on the other hand, was not wrapped in the bandages, but black chains that snaked their way under the bandages covering his shoulders and cut off at the end of his wrist. That struck Kouga as odd, since it looked as though Kurosaki's blade had a similar chain hanging off the pommel, but he did not have time to focus on it as Ichigo vanished again, leaving a slight afterimage as he did, with his blade still hanging in his grip. Kouga's eyes briefly flicked to his hair, noting that it now had several black streaks running through the orange locks.

And then he was in front of Kouga, with his blade raised, and cut a deep wound down his opponent's right side. Ichigo watched as Kouga was thrown back again, and landed in a heap only a few meters from the broken form of Muramasa. Ichigo watched as Kouga struggled to his feet; his pale skin and absence of body fat extremely clear as the muscles in his arm tensed as he pushed himself upright while he grimaced from the pain of the newl-dealt wound in his torso. Kouga lifted his hand, and a spear-axe similar to that that he had been using before flew into his hand and the imprisoned Shinigami lifted it and pointed the sharp end at Ichigo.

Ichigo believed that he mumbled something about Kido, and was surprised at the next attack that came. He was vaguely aware of the fact that some Kido Masters became attuned with certain spells to the point that they could choose not to use any incantation at all, even forgoing the name and number of the attack, but did not expect this man to be that talented in the demon-magic.

If Ichigo had not been in his Bankai, this surprise would likely have allowed the Kido to hit him. The unexpected attack, combined with the fast-fire of the red bolt of energy no doubt would have combined to catch him off guard. As it was, however, Ichigo _was_ in his Bankai, and so the attack moved almost comically slowly and he vanished from his spot as Kouga watched only to appear between the ex-Kuchiki and the red energy attack with his sword raised. Ichigo glanced at his blade in the moments before it fell, and smiled, under the bandages covering his mouth, at the sight of his long, ebony Daito, and took a hold of the hilt his left hand, wrapped in bandages, just below the cross-guard shaped like a manji. With a swipe of his sword, Ichigo sent a gust of wind at the treacherous Shinigami, and Kouga raised his spear-weapon to block it. He did so with ease, and raised his hand wit fingers splayed.

Ichigo found himself unable to move, as if he was bound by shackles, and Kouga smirked at him.

"I have never seen a Bankai like yours, but it is no matter. My power is unlike any Shinigami's before me. That is why I am not so weak as to need a crutch in the for, of a Zanpakuto. I will give you a taste of my power before I kill you, Kurosaki." His smirk grew to a grin, as Kouga raised his hand again and Ichigo felt a whisper enter his mind. "I have altered all five of your senses, and now you will be unable to block my attacks. I am almost tempted to let you free so that I can see your struggle." Kouga laughed. "But I will have ample opportunity to humiliate other Shinigami. You have impressed me enough that I will give you a quick death." He grinned at Ichigo, before the stock-still man's left arm twitched and a burst of blue-outlined black Spiritual pressure was expelled from Ichigo, only to halt inches from his hand and twist in mid air.

The black energy moulded into a blade made of Reishi, and Kouga blinked in surprise at the different power, only to have it rise in between he and Ichigo and slash through the air.

"How did you..." The blade severed the invisible ropes that he had created, and Ichigo vanished in a flicker again. Kouga twisted as he heard Ichigo's voice off to the side.

"They were made of Reishi," Ichigo said, his voice cold. "And, so, I could sense them even with my senses struggling to make sense of the world around me. You see," He smiled under the bandages. "Your powers are far from unique in comparison to mine. I am, as my Zanpakutos insist, a perfect hybrid of Human," Ichigo rolled his shoulders, and raised his Daito. "Shinigami," Black energy leapt from the blade an instant later, roaring towards Ichigo's target. Kouga leapt out of the way, barely, and landed in a roll as the crescent passed by him, effortlessly digging a whole in the ground. "_Quincy_," Kouga's eyes widened as the attack turned, and locked onto him once again; raging forwards still. He raised a hand and poured his Reiryoku reserves into a high-level Bakudo shield. "And...

"**Hollow**." Ichigo's voice changed, he appeared behind the man, and his bandaged hand seized Kouga by the back of his neck and slammed him, face first, into the ground. Ichigo absentmindedly allowed the Getsugha Tensho to fade away, and his Daito's tip stabbed through the Spear-axe's blade. "**No matter your own skill, my attacks are ****_strong_****. Too strong to be blocked by a weapon as mundane as those you are using. You have condemned yourself to failure, and with it death, by abandoning your Zanpakuto." **Ichigo's distorted voice snarled, and he drew his leg back. With a movement, he kicked Kouga in the ribs and sent him rolling along the ground. "**Now get up, and die on your feet!**" Had Ichigo been able to see himself, he'd have noticed that the protrusions from his helmet-mask had grown somewhat since his training with the Vizards.

Kouga rose, and wasted no time in talking as he Flash Stepped towards Ichigo. Ichigo twisted out of the way of the Reiatsu-infused strike that was directed at his chest, and his Bankai cut through Kouga's midsection, and the man separated into two chunks.

Yet he was stood across the island from Ichigo, with another of the golden weapons clutched in his hand.

"I told you already," Kouga growled, ignoring the pain in his side. "That your senses are going to fail you. You can't fight me when you can't SEE!" With another Shunpo, Kouga approached Ichigo, and the Human-Shinigami frowned at the fact that five Kougas were seemingly converging on his position from different directions. Then, the annoyed expression gave way to a smirk and Ichigo's form flickered. He appeared in front of the Kouga that was on his left for a millisecond, with his sword in mid-swing, and then Ichigo moved and was cutting through the form of the next Kouga, advancing clockwise in order to eliminate all of the Kougas. The third, Ichigo cut in two from crotch to scalp, and the fourth he beheaded. The fifth he stabbed through the heart, and Ichigo scowled as not one of them produced a drop of blood.

"**So none of them were you**?" He growled, and Kouga wheezed his agreement.

"None. I am guessing that your Bankai being so small allows you to be extremely quick," He deduced. "By condensing all of your Reiatsu into your own form?"

"**That's right**." Ichigo nodded, with annoyance. "**Are you going to show yourself**?" Ichigo turned on the spot, and slashed his sword across what looked to be nothing but air. "**You're good at hiding your Reiatsu**," Ichigo acknowledged, as Kouga appeared several meters away from him clutching a deep gash in his abdomen. "**But it flared before you were going to attack. I assume this means that you don't have the focus to sabotage my senses anymore**." Kouga snarled, and Ichigo took that as a yes. "**Well, I can't say this will be painless, but it'll be quick.**" Ichigo vanished again, and Kouga swung his head from side to side looking for his opponent, but found no trace of him.

"**Getsuga...**" Kouga Kuchiki looked skyward, with an expression of dread, just as black and red Reiatsu gathered around Tensa Zangetsu, and tried his hardest to flee. He failed, and found that blue chains, protruding from the ground, had wrapped around his midsection. In his final moments, Kouga realised what a mistake it had been to betray Muramasa, but did not have the chance to express this in anything more than a look of sorrow that he shot towards the dying Zanpakuto. His eyes met Muramasa's for the briefest of moments, and then a torrent of black Reiastu, lined with crimson, crashed down on him and erased him, and the majority of the island he was stood on, from existence. "**Tensho.**"

Ichigo landed on the ground, the bottom of his ragged, pitch black Kimono being dirtied by the cloud of dust that his attack had brought up, and his Bankai dissipated. The bandages and chains fell away and the kimono was replaced by his ordinary Shihakusho. Ichigo sighed, and allowed his Shikai to fade as well before sheathing the Wakizashi and O-katana on his left hip.

After a brief glance at Byakuya's unconscious form to check he had not inadvertently hit it with his Getsuga Tensho, Ichigo moved his attention to Muramasa. The Zanpakuto, as Ichigo now knew him, shuddered and gasped as blood pooled around him, and Ichigo's brow dipped in sympathy for the painful death he was enduring.

The hybrid quickly made his way over to Muramasa, and knelt next to him, ignoring the blood that stained his trousers, to place a hand on Muramasa's shoulder.

"Kuro...saki..." The Zanpakuto weakly asked.

"I'm here." Ichigo squeezed his shoulder. "What do you need? I think one of my friends might be able to save you?" He half-asked.

"N-No... no... I a-am ready to d-die..." He wheezed. "P-Promise... promise me..."

"Promise what?" Ichigo asked, as the spirit gasped in another breath. "What can I do?" Muramasa had been a bastard in the Soul Society, but Ichigo would have done the same had he needed to rescue the partner of his soul.

"T-The Zanpakuto..." Muramasa's eyes dimmed as they locked onto Ichigo's. "L-Look after... them..."

"I would never let any harm come to my Zanpakuto." Ichigo promised.

"N-No... look after a-all of them... make sure they never lose contact w-w-with thei-r... the most pa-painful thing I-I ha-ve ever... the bonds... p-please... they will... come back... they need to know they are... n-not j-ust swords..."

"I will do everything in my power," Ichigo nodded. "I promise." Muramasa gave a shaky smile at this, and raised his hands.

"A gift...to h-help..." He plunged them into Ichigo's chest, and the Shinigami gasped as Muramasa pushed something into his inner world. "T-Thank you..." The light faded from Muramasa's eyes, and his head lolled back. His wrists fell from Ichigo's chest, sans hands, and the Zanpakuto died.

The breaking down of Muramasa's soul began at the new stubs of his wrists, and Ichigo stayed knelt next to him until the Zanpakuto had faded into Reishi particles completely. With a sad frown, the Substitute Shinigami stood. He did not have time to mourn, as the others may need help. He would honor Muramasa by keeping to his promise, as soon as he found out how he was meant to do such a thing.

Maybe the so-called gift would help him in his task.

Ichigo Flash-Stepped over to Byakuya, and unceremoniously took a hold of the back of his Shihakusho. He lifted the unconscious captain, and turned his sights to Rukia's location. With another Shunpo, he appeared next to the tree, where Rukia had apparently woken and was being seen to by Orihime while Chad and Uryu stood off to the side.

"Everyone okay?" Ichigo asked, as he dumped his burden. Orihime jumped, while the other three hid d=their surprise at Ichigo's arrival significantly better, and Ichigo smiled at the girl.

"Kuroski-kun!" Orihime greeted him warmly while maintaining her healing dome. "Yes, we're fine! There were some nasty Hollows that managed to knock Sado-kun unconscious, but he woke up in time to give one of them an uppercut, and it gave a roar of pain before fading away and Sado-kun was all nonchalant and asked me if I was okay, while Uryu was off distracting some more of them with his blue arrows, and he beat them! Is it true that you beat up all of the Menoses?! That's really impressive, but I'm not surprised that you're that strong, Kurosaki-kun! They didn't stand a chance against your righteous powers! The hero always wins, and you're obviously the hero, Kurosaki-kun; that's why you always wear a scowl, so that people won't get too close to you and put themselves in danger! You couldn't stand for that, because you're too selfless, and you take on burdens that aren't yours just because it's in your nature!" The other four, at this point, were staring, confused, at Orihime's rant. "We're lucky to have you, Kurosaki-kun, aren't we guys?!" She asked, and then frowned when the only response she got were weird looks. "Guys?"

"Yes." Chad nodded, agreeing with the general point. "The fight would have been far harder without you, Ichigo."

"Tss. You're still a Shinigami. I don't see any reason to thank you." Ishida scoffed.

"You were very impressive, Ichigo," Rukia nodded, before asking the obvious question. "Is my brother going to be okay?"

"I think so, yeah. His injuries shouldn't be life-threatening." He shrugged.

"Orihime, please can you heal my Nii-sama?" Rukia requested.

"Of course."

"Wait a second, Inoue," Ichigo halted her. "Please don't heal him entirely. He's still a traitor, and he could try to escape by hurting one of you."

"My brother would never-"

"This is the same brother that tried to kill you, Rukia. He'll be given a trial, but he deserves to be punished for helping them and, for that matter, nearly killing _me_." Rukia fell silent, with a look of guilt, while Orihime looked horrified.

"He tried to kill you, Kurosaki-kun?!" She asked, worriedly, and tried to spot any injuries on Ichigo's person. "Are you okay?" She continued, with concern evident in her features.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine Inoue. It happened a few days ago and Unohana-taicho healed me up quickly." He smiled reassuringly at the girl. "No need to worry." He assured her.

"That's good." Orihime smiled at her crush, and then frowned at Byakuya's injured form. She, briefly, considered refusing to heal the Shinigami, but it was not in her nature to actually do so and Orihime's powers were quickly put to work rejecting the damage that had been done to the Captain of Sixth Division. At the same time, Ichigo had checked that all of his friends had made it through their fights relatively unscathed, and sat down against another tree, in view of the others, and began the process of Jinzen. Maybe one of his Zanpakuto would know what the gift was that Muramasa had given to him, and how it would help him help the Zanpakuto know that they were more than just weapons.

And why were his hands tingling?

-()()-

As it turned out, they did not know what the now-deceased Zanpakuto had meant by that. Zangetsu had stated that he felt a change in Ichigo's inner world, and that he fully intended to investigate what its nature, but that nothing had turned up yet. They could guarantee, however, that there was not a new spirit in the world, and Ichigo got the feeling that they were relieved that this was the case, and that Ichigo's abilities in combat had not been altered, not that he had expected something of that nature. Kikoo had cooed something about barriers, but had not elaborated when Ichigo asked what she meant.

After exiting his inner world, Ichigo had travelled back to the Soul Society with Rukia and Byakuya after promising Orihime, who was rather unhappy that he was headed back for some reason, that he was returning to the Human World at some point in the next few days. He did, however, have to give his report to the Captains before he could return, or they would keep pestering him until he did.

Ichigo had dropped Byakuya off at Fourth Division, where Retsu Unohana had assured him that the Captain would be restrained, and then left Rukia with her brother. The human-Shinigami had not caught sight of anyone he wished to talk to on the way back to the Shiba home, and decided to track them down tomorrow lest he get roped into helping to rebuild the Seiretei. Ichigo saw no reason for him to have to help with that, other than the destruction Hichigo caused, and so would avoid that duty.

Now, he was stood in his inner world again, practicing his Reishi manipulation by creating complex patterns as Old Man Zangetsu watched and offered a few pointers. It was necessary, apparently, for him to learn the intricacies of the ability before he could start creating anything of substance outside of his Bankai form. Since Ichigo wanted to move onto things that could actually help him in battle, he was throwing himself into this stage of Zangetsu's teachings.

Ichigo was taking a break, and discussing what he could do better with his instructor when a new Zanpakuto appeared inside his inner world.

"Ichigo!" A voice unfamiliar to the hybrid yelled, moments before a pair of arms wrapped around his neck in an enthusiastic hug, and Ichigo was thrown off balance and fell to the floor.

"Hey! We agreed I'd get to hug him first!"

-()()()-

**Okay, there it is. A slight cliffhanger, but I doubt anyone'll be all too irritated by this one.**

**I put an emphasis on Ichigo's speed in the fight, because that just seemed to disappear, or at least become a helluva lot less significant, after his fight with Byakuya in Canon.**

**No, he didn't get Muramasa, but he did get something.**


	26. Byakuya's Trial

**Here's another chapter of Savage. Sorry about the wait, I've had a hard time adjusting to recent changes in my schedule and so have not had ample opportunity to write.**

**I hope you enjoy it, though. I'll admit that I'm not sure about parts of it for reasons I think are rather justified but that I won't say here. Maybe in an endnote.**

**-()()-**

While Ichigo could see how it would make his promise easier to fulfil, he really wasn't sure that he'd call it a _gift_.

No, on second thought there was no chance in hell that he would call _this_ a gift. It would get annoying very _very_ quickly, he was sure, if he could not find a way to block off whatever path had been opened. Maybe one of his Zanpakuto would have a better idea, but there was no way to ask them just yet; not until he got rid of these two, who were… exuberant.

"We did not!" The taller of the two female Zanpakuto spirits, a red haired woman with pink fur covering most of her body, denied that they'd agreed the other one would hug Ichigo first. "I get to hug him first! You get to _watch_!"

"_Watch_ what?!" The other girl, a shorter figure with black hair adorned with a flowery ornament and a pink ribbon with two bells wrapped around her upper body and arching behind her head as well as a baggy kimono that, unlike Haineko, the furry female, did nothing to highlight her form.

"What do you think?" Haineko asked Tobiume, placing a hand on her hip and gliding the other down her side, lingering to point at her breasts and bum. At the same time, she puckered her lips and turned to wink at Ichigo, not bothering to be anything nearing subtle as she heavily flirted.

"What?! You slut, what makes you think he would want anything to do with _you_?!"

"These!" Haineko yelled back, and grabbed her large breasts in either hand. "But you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?" She sneered at Tobiume, who reddened and expressed her fury at the statement. Loudly.

"SHUT UP! At least he wouldn't catch a disease from _me_!"

"What did you just say?!"

"I _said_ that you're a disease riddled old woman whose best days are long behind her! And that nobody would be so desperate as to fuck _you_! Let alone someone who could have me instead!"

"Ichigo would never have a flat chested little bitch instead of _me_, a _talented_, _experienced_ woman!"

"You mean a slut!" As Haineko made to retort again, a new voice, still female interrupted their squabble.

"WILL THE BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP!" Nejibana lost her cool, as the two discussed having their way with Ichigo, who was looking on baffled, right here in his inner world. "Neither of you is going to have anything to do with Ichigo, and if you do not get out of here right now you will REGRET IT!" She yelled, as her Shikai form appeared in hand and the trident's tips seemed to shine with lethality as both of the intruding girls saw the anger flash in her eyes.

"Uh…" Haineko said, nervously.

"Erm…" Tobiume echoed the sentiment.

"OUT!" Nejibana ordered, while Zangetsu, Ichigo, Hichigo, Tabigarasu and Kikoo watched her with slightly bemused expressions, not used to seeing her ire directed at anyone other than Hollow Zangetsu.

"R-Right." Tobiume vanished in a pulse of reiatsu, and Haineko hesitated slightly, turning to say something to Ichigo.

"Ah!" She cried out, as the drill on one end of Nejibana's trident skimmed her shoulder, cutting a thin gash as it was thrown much like a spear.

"NOW!"

With an _eep_, Haineko left Ichigo's inner world, and the orange haired Shinigami blinked at what had just happened. Then, he found himself scratching the back of his right hand, and looked down to see why it felt a little strange. He quickly saw the reason and blinked again.

One both hands, running from his knuckles to part-way up his forearm, there were four straight black lines, as though he had decided to get a rather strange set of tattoos. Presumably, they represented this new, likely annoying, aspect of his abilities and Ichigo briefly wondered how that would be received when he returned to the mortal world, and had to attend school again. He knew, already, that his father would react weirdly, after all, and there was no reason to try to predict what that reaction would be exactly.

Back to the situation at hand, though, Ichigo found Nejibana stood next to him, the trident having disappeared, with a scowl on her face as she muttered angrily.

"Insolent little… intruding… slutty…" Ichigo was unsure of how, exactly, to proceed and decided to take base it on past experience, taking her hand in a soft grip and drawing Nejibana's attention to him. She forced a smile onto her face, uncaring that it was obviously fake, and Ichigo returned it with his own reassuring smile.

"**Well, that was weird**." Hichigo commented, thankfully breaking the tension as Ichigo chuckled his agreement.

"As good a description as any." Ichigo grinned. "Any ideas how to stop that from happening again?" He asked, specifically to Zangetsu as the stoic spirit was most likely to understand the new ability, who had a thoughtful expression on his face.

"_I cannot say for certain, Ichigo,_" The black-dressed spirit shook his head. "_I am sure, however, that you can learn to control this… gift even if it may take some time. I will do what I can to identify from where the two entered, and we can proceed from there._" He said, calmly.

"Hmph." Nejibana voiced her agreement with the noise. "The sooner the better. If they come back, I'm going to hurt them." She said simply.

None of the others doubted that what she said was true.

-(())()()(())-

"We are here today to discuss the fate of Byakuya Kuchiki, current Head of House Kuchiki and Captain of 6th Division, pending the decision of the Captains Council." The Captain Commander spoke from his seat at the end of the corridor of Captains. in between them, Byakuya Kuchiki was stood with shackles on his wrists and his Zanpakuto currently confiscated and in the possession of Second Division. Ichigo, on the other hand, was stood next to the doorway of the First Division's meeting chamber, having been asked by the Head-Captain to be in attendance as he knew what had happened better than anyone else. Next to him, Yoruichi also stood, as an effective witness to his betrayal and the attack on Ichigo.

"Before we begin," Yamamoto continued. "Do you have anything you wish to say, Byakuya Kuchiki?"

"Only that I did what I did because I knew of Muramasa's eventual goal. I believed it to be my responsibility to deal with the rogue Kuchiki clan member Koga; my family bears the responsibility for his survival, and I intended to set right that error. My pride would not allow any other course of action."

"And your pride nearly brought about the death of numerous Shinigami," Yamamoto countered. "You did not succeed in killing Koga, as you apparently intended, and that duty fell onto the shoulders of Ichigo Kurosaki; the very person that you attempted to kill days before."

"I was certain that Ichigo Kurosaki would survive; I did not expect him to play such a role in the proceedings, and so thought it inconsequential that he be out of commission for the time being."

Yamamoto did not respond directly to Byakuya's statement, and instead turned to address the medical expert in their midsts. "Unohana-taicho, how extensive were the injuries suffered by Kurosaki Ichigo?" He asked, focusing on the most direct betrayal that they had suffered at the hands of Byakuya.

"Extremely." Retsu responded a few moments later. "While he recovered quickly, for reasons he did not deem to reveal, Kurosaki-san's injuries were serious. Given that Shihoin-san happened on the scene through luck, it is plausible that they could have been fatal if he had been left as he was after Byakuya Kuchiki's attack. Not necessarily likely, but plausible as is to be expected from a direct hit, with intent to harm, from the Shikai of a Captain-level fighter."

Yamamoto nodded. "And do you have anything to refute this?" He addressed Byakuya again. When the man shook his head, unable to offer any evidence against what was said, Genryusai continued. "Does anyone else have information to add, or an argument to offer?"

Most Captain's would, truthfully, have been forgiving of their fellow's betrayal because he had been aiming to assist the Soul Society as a whole, had the information regarding Ichigo being attacked not been so blatantly highlighted. As it was, he had outright assisted Muramasa against one of the better fighters that had been on their side. Ichigo had been a great help in putting down the rebellion, and Byakuya had repaid that by nearly killing him.

"If we forgive a traitor, what precedent is set for the future?" Soi Fon asked, avoiding looking down the aisle to avoid the sight of Ichigo. "We have already suffered losses at the hand of the others, so why should Kuchiki's betrayal be any different? He attacked an ally without provocation and this should be punished severely." She said in a cold tone. "We cannot afford to appear weak in a time of war."

"Nor can we afford to _be_ weak." Komamura argued. "We have lost three captains in recent months. Losing another would further deplete our forces."

"Aye," Kyoraku nodded, slightly somber. "Aizen's the bigger fish, I reckon. We'll need to punish Byakuya after the war's all said and done, of course, but I think we can be a little lenient."

"And if Ich- if Kurosaki is unhappy with that?" Soi Fon asked, and turned to the Captain Commander, who listened silently to the arguments put forth. "I am of the opinion that Kurosaki Ichigo will be a greater asset to the coming war than Kuchiki; we cannot afford to alienate him simply for the sake of favouring one of our own. How can we trust Kuchiki now?"

"That's true," This time, Ukitake responded. "It seems, to me, that Ichigo is an unknown to Aizen. He may have the best chance, excluding you Yamamoto-sama, of overcoming the traitor himself. It would be unwise to favour Kuchiki over that." What Byakuya felt at that statement, Ichigo did not know as he kept a mask in place.

"Maybe you should actually ask Ichigo, then!" Yoruichi had been growing irritated from her place next to the human-shinigami, eyeing her ex-protege worriedly, and saw this as the obvious course of action.

"Agreed." Yamamoto spoke again. "Kurosaki Ichigo," His eye cracked open. "How would you suggest we proceed in regards to the punishment of Byakuya Kuchiki?"

Ichigo blinked, as everyone in the room turned their attention to him, excluding Byakuya who did not move and Soi Fon who began to turn to look at him, thought better of it, and snapped her attention back to the wall directly in front of her.

"Uh…" Ichigo hadn't considered how to phrase it. "Well, I think the bastard needs to be taught a lesson, but I don't think he did any of this shi- stuff out of malice, just out of a moronic sense of self-importance and pride. He doesn't seem to dislike the Soul Society, and only has a grudge against me after our last fight and because I'm not a noble, and don't have a stick so far up my ass that I have to waddle around." Kenpachi guffawed, while the rest stared at Ichigo with something akin to shock. "No reason to kill him, or kick him out of the Gotei 13. I'd say… well, I want to fight him, that's non-negotiable, but maybe you could have him clean the toilets around Eleventh division's barracks. Considering his pride is what got him into this mess, putting a few dents in it would be a good thing." Byakuya's head, Ichigo was amused to notice, had snapped around at the second part of Ichigo's suggested punishment.

"_What_?" He asked, horrified, while Zaraki's guffaws turned to outright howls of laughter.

"Throw in havin' to fight each of my division includin' me, and I think that's a perfect punishment for bein' such a dick!" He exclaimed his agreement.

"Right. What I said before, plus having to fight the members of Eleventh Division, in single combat, in whatever style they wish." From his right, Yoruichi cleared her throat. Ichigo thought for a moment, and then deduced what she might be asking. "Oh, and a game of… what was it, Hoho-tag? Yeah, a game of Hoho-tag with Yoruichi."

"Ichi!" A voice interjected, and he looked over to find a pink-haired head peering over Kenpachi's shoulder, while Yachiru waved her hand in the air.

"Yes?" He asked, with a grin. "Do you have some suggestions?"

"Aye! I think he should buy the lieutenants candy! Oh! Oh, and make a calendar for the Shinigami Women's Association!"

"That sounds fair," Ichigo said, the grin still present. "SO candy for the Lieutenants and pictures for the SWA's calendar, the details of which are to be discussed with Lieutenant Kusajishi at a later date."

"Ahem." Yamamoto cleared his throat a few moments later, his eyes fully open in surprise, and then spoke as they closed once more. "Does anyone, other than the guilty party, object to the punishment set forth by Ichigo Kurosaki?"

Byakuya looked around, desperate and with a hint of pleading in his gaze, but found nobody willing to speak on his behalf; even Renji was unable, as he was stood stock still, frozen at the ridiculous image of what Yachiru would have his captain do for the calendar poses.

"Those in favour of… a fight with Ichigo Kurosaki, a fight with Kenpachi Zaraki, a fight with the members of Eleventh division in the aspect of combat of their choosing, the cleaning of the Eleventh Division's bathrooms, including the toilets, a game of… Hoho-tag with Yoruichi-Shihoin, the purchase of snacks, of their preference, for the Lieutenants, and the gifting of aforementioned snacks, and the posing for a calendar for the SWA?" He listed the extensive set of punishments.

"Agreed." Soi Fon nodded, with a slightly bemused expression on her face.

"That sounds fair." Retsu Unohana smiled at Byakuya, who suppressed the desire to shudder.

"I concur." Sajin Komamura said next.

"Yep." Kyoraku was amused at the notion, and so voted in favour.

"He needs to be punished…" Toshiro was unsure, but if that was what Ichigo wanted, then he supposed it was fair enough.

"Definitely!" Kenpachi was already looking forward to his fight. Also, the toilets hadn't been clean in Kami-knows how long.

"I don't object." Kurotsuchi voiced.

"This will allow Byakuya to remain as a Captain, and so is for the good of the war effort." Ukitake, the last of the Captains to vote, meant that it was unanimous, and Byakuya's shoulders had fallen to the point that his posture screamed _defeated_.

"Very well. The punishment will begin upon Unohana-taicho clearing Kuchiki-taicho for combat." Yamamoto announced, as his cane struck the floor.

That announced the end of the meeting, with Ichigo forgetting to talk about the new ability he had discovered. Well, forget might not be the right word; he didn't want to give Mayuri more reason to want to examine him and so neglected to bring it up, but would tell the Captain-Commander when he got the chance.

The only other thing Ichigo intended to do, in talking to Soi Fon, was foiled upon the petite Captain vanishing in a Flash Step as soon as she was dismissed. He could not find her upon visiting the Second Division's barracks and would not have any idea where to go in order to find her until that night, when he was back in his inner world.

-()()-

"Ichigo-kun!" A small voice exclaimed, as Ichigo landed, on his feet, in his inner world. It was not one he immediately recognised, and so he swivelled on the spot to find the origin of the voice. He could not see anything, and turned again before the voice corrected his assumption. "Up here!" It told him, and he craned his neck to find a brown haired, small female figure floating above his head.

"Um… hello, Suzumebachi." Ichigo said, blinking his confusion at finding her here. "How are you?"

She let out a happy squeal-like noise, and did a loop-the-loop in mid air to arrive an inch from his face. "You remembered! I'm good! Hello!"

"O-Of course I remembered," Ichigo said, as the gold and black dressed girl stared into one of his brown eyes for reasons unknown to him. "How could I forget?" Suzumebachi grinned, before Ichigo continued. "So… what are you doing here?"

"My wielder's stupid!" Was the extent of her response.

"Oh… erm, okay? How is Soi Fon stupid?" He asked, uncertainly.

"She's ignoring you because she listened to that silly cat-bitch!"

"'Silly cat-bitch'?" Ichigo repeated, understandably confused. "Could you elaborate on that?"

"Yoruichi suggested that you wouldn't like Soi Fon, because she was jealous, and my idiot wielder believed her!"

"Wait… what?" Ichigo asked. "Could you back up, and start from the beginning, please?"

-)_)-

Soi Fon had come to these woods, on the border of her family estate, in order to clear her mind. To have some time alone with her thoughts, and in order to finally shed the unreturned feelings she held for Ichigo. She had not brought anything that could hinder that, through distractions, and so only carried her Wakizashi, it always payed to be prepared, and the clothes on her back. She had only stopped by the Second Division barracks long enough to leave her Captain's Haori, as there was no reason to bring it.

This clearing was a retreat she had had for as long as she could remember, and the bark of one tree had, before today, held a carving of a bee and a cat in the bark of its trunk. The meaning would not be difficult to discern for anyone who knew Soi Fon, but the fact that it now had a dozen slashes marring the drawing would be more confusing for most. Nobody had seen her, after all, angry with her revered mentor. She had hated Yoruichi when she left, but not once had Soi Fon been able to convince herself to be rid of the reminders, though most had been placed in storage.

Now, Soi Fon was beginning to believe that this was the end of her and Yoruichi having any sort of relationship. Even their friendship would be unlikely to continue. It would hurt, she knew, to see Ichigo with Yoruichi; he was the first man she had felt anything for, let alone…

Soi Fon sighed in her sleep, as her dreams took on a feel that was becoming frustratingly familiar. Ichigo was the star of most of her dreams of late but at least this one was rather innocent; they were just sat in a clearing, cuddling and talking of nothing in particular. The smile on her lips would not last long, however, as the frigid airs of the night began to intrude on her contentment, and her small, unconscious form began to shiver. Her dream-self huddled deeper into Ichigo's chest, trying to escape the cold outside of her mind, but this did nothing to help. Eventually, her Reiryoku may have solved the problem, but that was not the case as Suzumebachi revealed to Ichigo where the Captain was hiding out.

Ichigo appeared in the clearing in a slight blur, and the lowest of buzzes; to the point that it was unlikely that Soi Fon would have thought anything of it even if she had been awake to hear. It certainly was not enough to wake her, and so Ichigo's eyes found her shivering form where she had fallen asleep unintentionally, curled into a ball in an attempt to be comfortable.

This was not what he had planned. Ichigo had expected her to be awake, if she was outside, and for a conversation to take place. Instead, it looked as though he would have to take a different course of action and, after his gaze swept the clearing for anything that might be of use, he deduced that he had no choice, and hoped Soi Fon would forgive him.

He stepped to the sleeping Captain, and crouched next to her, putting his arms under her form slowly so as to not disturb her rest. He smoothly lifted her, and stood without effort as he smiled softly at just how light she was. Adjusting his hold, Ichigo moved her to sit in his arms with his left under her knees and the right on her upper back.

Soi Fon stayed like that for but a moment, and then seemed to breathe in rather deeply, before her hand found the front of Ichigo's Shihakusho, and gripped it tightly. She proceeded to bury her face in his chest, to Ichigo's slight embarrassment as he felt heat creep up his neck, and snuggle into his warmth just as her dream-self did.

Ichigo shivered, at this, for a very different reason to the cold that had been affecting the girl in his arms, and did his best to ignore the voices inside his head, as they spoke up.

"**... and she'll never know!**" Hichigo finished his suggestion.

'WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!' Ichigo yelled back, horrified.

'**What? Do you not think she has a nice arse?**' Hichigo asked, confused.

'I… she… that doesn't mean I'm going to do _that_, you freak!' Ichigo responded.

'Show some respect, you disgusting Hollow!' Nejibana added, and Ichigo heard a _clang_ as she whacked Hichigo over the head. 'Soi Fon is not some piece of meat for Ichigo to… to _rape_! He cares for her! Do you not realise how disgusting that is?!'

'**So what? He should just put her to bed?! That's boring!**' Hichigo defended his suggestion.

"I was not suggesting that, I think he should greet her in the morning with breakfast in bed. It would be romantic, and then he could have the conversation that she needs to convince her that he _is_interested, and that she has no reason to be insecure.'

'That's still a little creepy...'

Ichigo arrived in the Second Division Barrack's Captain's office, where he understood there were also sleeping quarters, in a quick Flash Step, glanced down at the girl in his arms, and paused at the small, genuine, beautiful smile that was on her face. It was so much more innocent than the cold mask she normally wore, and Ichigo found himself wanting to see it more often.

Even so, Ichigo needed to put the girl to bed, lest something more happen to disturb her rest. With this in mind, he turned to the wooden, sliding door and walked towards it. Then, he stopped, realising his hands were occupied, and tilted his head to the side in confusion. After a moment's thought, he mentally shrugged and a wisp of Reiatsu came off his arm, formed a tendril that snaked to the door, and slid it open. The room inside was, unsurprisingly, Spartan, even the top of the dresser being entirely bare in its place next to the single bed. Ichigo didn't feel overly concerned about that fact, as it fit her character, and moved over to the bed, to lay her on top of the cream-coloured cover.

He did so, placing her carefully down, and made to stand. Soi Fon did not release her hold on the front of his Shihakusho, however, and Ichigo made a slightly startled noise originating in his chest. Soi Fon did not, however, wake and so he frowned in thought as to what to do. Ignoring the suggestion to climb into bed from two of his spirits, Ichigo summoned the smallest of his blades, Tabigarasu, and with a quick motion cut the cloth off his body.

Leaving the upper half of his outfit with Soi Fon as she smiled and cuddled into the cloth that held his scent, Ichigo began to walk away only to stop at a sound coming from behind him.

"Ichigo… no…" Soi Fon murmured, and Ichigo spun on the spot to find her eyes closed. So why had she said that, he wondered. Ichigo was troubled by the unhappy expression on her face, and took a step closer to the bedside. A smile reappeared on her face, in response, and Ichigo scratched the back of his head before shrugging and turning to leave again.

"Don't… go…" Again, Ichigo spun, trying to find any sign that Soi Fon was faking her unconscious state but failed to see anything at all. She was asleep, but had suddenly become restless.

He did not know, as he repeated his attempts to leave twice more, and was stopped by moans of despair from the unconscious Shinigami, that Soi Fon's dreams took on a more troubling nature, of him abandoning her, upon feeling his Reiatsu signature move out of the immediate area. Hence the voicing of her concerns.

It did not take Ichigo long to deduce that Soi Fon could feel his location, even in this state, and did not want him to leave. Granted, he did not fully grasp the reason, but it was enough that he could understand what she wanted and so Ichigo sighed. There must be a better solution, this would surely be an odd situation in the morning, yet one did not come to mind at that moment.

Ichigo flopped onto the floor next to the foot of the bed, leaned against it and, eventually, fell asleep.

-()()-

**So, yeah, that last part was especially strange to write. While fluff is nice in moderation, and I'll happily write what comes next, it feels weird to write it with one half of the pair unconscious. This was the scenario I decided on, though, and so I went ahead and wrote it. The first part, too, felt a little weird just because the amused anticipation I had when I wrote the end of the last chapter had kind of faded away. A side effect of the long delay. I did, however, very much enjoy writing Byakuya's trial, or at least the outcome of it. His punishment will come quickly enough (largely fighting. I don't expect writing about Byakuya cleaning a toilet would be entertaining.) and I look forward to a more extensive fight in which Byakuya won't be caught off guard so much by our Protagonist's abilities.**

**Once more, I hope you enjoyed the chapter.**


	27. Kenpachi bullies Byakuya

**Wow. Long delay between updates. All I can say is that I'm sorry and hope it doesn't happen again. I haven't been writing as much recently, and upon getting my motivation back decided, somehow, that it would be a good idea to start yet another story. Long story short, having five fanfics on the go at once is a bad idea.**

**As a reminder, I own nothing.**

Grey eyes fluttered open come morning, as Soi Fon sighed her content. She had had a good night's sleep, which was a rarity for the captain of Second Division. Not after what she had been forced to do and, truthfully, the betrayal she had faced at the hands of Yoruichi.

The black haired girl cuddled into her covers, and frowned as she found them shorter than usual. For some reason, it did not even cover her calves, and so the captain pulled her feet up underneath.

She would just sleep for five more minutes. This wonderful feeling of contentment… of safety should not be wasted, after all.

Her eyes closed, and Soi Fon fell into her slumber once again.

When she woke for the second time, Soi Fon forced her eyes to the clock on the furthest wall. 8:30. She would have to get up, then, and check that her pathetic Lieutenant wasn't slacking off and infecting the rest of her squad with his idiocy and laziness.

Soi Fon maintained her hold on these strange new covers with the enticing scent as she softly placed her feet on the ground. It wasn't until she stood that the Captain realised.

Realised that she had fallen asleep outside the night before. Soi Fon's eyes widened, as she realised that someone would have had to have carried her here. How could she fail to wake in that case? How well they must have masked their identities for her to have no idea of their presence!

Soif Fon fell into a fighting stance, as she assumed that the enemy was still present. That she had fallen into a trap by the simple act of waking. The blanket fell to the floor, and Soi Fon's eyes flicked to it. It was the top of a shihakusho… what?

She found her sword leant against her nightstand, and Soi Fon's confusion grew. Why would someone set a trap for her and intentionally leave her armed? Were they trying to lull her into a false sense of security?

The Wakizashi was drawn within moments of the Captain hearing breathing, and the tip was pointed to the foot of her bed as she adopted a fighting stance.

"Ichigo?" The fighting stance was replaced by a look of confusion, and a matching mindset. What was he doing here? "Why are you in my chambers?"

Ichigo stayed silent as he slumbered, and Soi Fon realised his unconscious state. "Why is he in my room?" She looked to the discarded top, and to Ichigo's bare torso. "I… fell asleep outside. Did he carry me back?" Somehow, Soi Fon knew this was the case; as though confirmation came from inside her mind. She reddened, then; both for the fact that Ichigo was half naked and because he carried her back while she was dreaming of the two of them in an intimate situation.

Kami, she hoped that she hadn't spoken in her sleep. She raised a hand to her own cheek, and felt the warmth radiating as she stared at the unconscious male.

How long she was stood there would be a mystery to Soi Fon. The Captain stared at Ichigo, and wondered what this meant.

She thought that maybe, just maybe, he had come looking for her. To talk about the two of them. Then, she crushed that hope. She already knew that Ichigo didn't feel the same way, so why bother thinking of what ifs? Ichigo wouldn't want her; not when he had Yoruichi. Who could possibly want Soi Fon over a goddess?

The Captain had no idea, at this point, that her Reiryoku was fluctuating as her Zanpakuto screamed her frustration inside her head.

As she expressed her emotions vocally, though it was silent to her wielder, Suzumebachi gripped her head and fumed.

Stupid Soi Fon.

Stupid Yoruichi.

They would not stop interfering in her love life! IDIOTS! Even Ichigo would not get his act together and wake up!

Suzumebachi's form flickered as she tried to travel to Ichigo's mindscape. She met a wall of resistance, and screamed yet again. What was going on?! How was she stuck here, when she had spoken to Ichigo just last night?!

"Zangetsu!" She roared, and sent a mental kick at Ichigo's soul.

Ichigo jerked awake with a gasp in the real world, and Soi Fon stumbled back, taken by surprise at the sudden unexplained movement. Her right foot fell onto the discarded, torn material and the Captain just had the time to realise her left foot had somehow gotten tangled in Ichigo's top before she was falling backwards with an expression of shock.

At her surprised exclamation, Ichigo shot to his feet. It was reasonable to assume that he was under duress after being woken by the strange jolt, and so Ichigo had Zangetsu's smaller sealed form in his hand even as he twisted to find the source of the noise.

"Soi Fon?" He saw the captain, now lying in a tangle of bedsheets after grabbing the cover in a desperate attempt to stop her fall, and was surprised.

"Ichigo…" Soi Fon returned, with a wince, as she rubbed her sore rear.

"Err… are you okay?" The orange haired hybrid asked.

"I'm fine." The Captain frowned, and Ichigo noticed.

"You don't feel fine," Ichigo said, as he felt the reiryoku-soaked air around him. It told of a bad mood. "What's wrong?"

Soi Fon didn't answer, so the male asked again.

"You aren't hurt, are you?" Ichigo's eyes flicked over her form, but couldn't see much of it as it was covered by her duvet.

"No, I am uninjured."

"Is everything okay with Suzumebachi?"

"Everything is fine."

"Did you have a nightmare?" Ichigo asked, worried and confused. He didn't know what could possibly be distressing Soi Fon so much.

"No! I'm fine!" Soi Fon barked at him, with red cheeks. "I fell over because you made me jump you moron!"

"Oh… good." Ichigo blinked. "But why was your Reiryoku so… angry? That can't have been because I made you jump."

Soi Fon mumbled something.

"I'm sorry, I missed that."

"It isn't any of your business, Ichigo. Please leave it alone."

"I don't think I can…" Ichigo said hesitantly.

"And why not?" Soi Fon asked in return, with narrowed eyes.

"Suzumebachi'll bug me until I help you and… uh, do something else." Ichigo felt heat creep up his neck and suppressed the thought.

"How will my Zanpakuto bug you?"

Ichigo sighed. "Well, after the confrontation I had with Muramasa Zanpakuto have been able to come and go to my Mindscape. It… feels like Zangetsu has made progress in blocking them out, but I think he just sealed off the biggest entrance. I'm pretty sure that they'll still be able to get inside." How he knew this, Ichigo had no idea. Maybe he was just getting some clarity on the newest aspect of his life. Annoying an aspect as it might be.

"So my Zanpakuto visited you?" Soi Fon asked. Ichigo didn't like how flat her tone was.

"Yeah…"

"And blackmailed you into coming to visit me?" Was it just him or did Soi Fon's voice waver slightly? "Of course she did. Why else would you come?"

Ichigo opened his mouth to correct her, only to find that Soi Fon vanished in a flicker of Shunpo and his words fell short.

"No! That's not why…" Ichigo frowned. "What the fuck is going on here?" He muttered, rubbing his jaw. A voice answered him.

'My idiot Wielder is insecure!' It said. Ichigo realised, a few beats later, that it must be Suzumebachi.

'Why?' He thought, in a frustrated tone. 'She's confident in every other aspect of life, why on earth would she be insecure here?'

'Um…' Inside his own head, it was not difficult for the orange-haired teen to hear the Zanpakuto's hesitance.

'What is it? Why are you hesitating now?'

'It'sYoruichi'sfault!' Suzumebachi blurted.

'How is it Yoruichi's fault?'

'She abandoned us- her! She… that was the only time Soi Fon cared. At least in that way. You must know that she grew obsessed with her mentor; we fell for her, and then Yoruichi abandoned us.'

'And that's responsible for ehr insecurity?' Ichigo frowned. Then, it was replaced by a look of realisation. 'Ah. She doesn't think she's... unworthy, does she?

'I don't know about unworthy, but she doesn't think anyone could or would care about her like that. You could have anyone, and she thinks it would ridiculous for you to pick her when you could have Yoruichi.'

Ichigo frowned; he didn't know how to respond to that. It was a state of being that was foreign to him. 'Can you tell me where your wielder is, Suzumebachi?' He asked, instead.

'She's… training her subordinates.' Suzumebachi answered, with a hint of amusement.

'Right. To Second Division's grounds, then.' Ichigo vanished in a blur of movement and a blink of light.

-()()-

When he arrived at the division, Ichigo's eyes widened minutely as he discovered the reason for Suzumebachi's pause.

Through the courtyard, there were masked members of the Second Division lying and clutching various parts of their bodies. Their groans told Ichigo that the pain was real, but the absence of any blood or serious injury told him that they weren't under attack. And, so, he dismissed the Shinigami and looked at the only standing person in the immediate vicinity. Who happened to be the person Ichigo was here to see.

Soi Fon stood over the still form of Omaeda, with her shoulders rising and falling rapidly as her lungs contracted. In her hand, the Captain held a training sword that was roughly the shape necessary to inflict the red welts on her irritating Lieutenant's face.

Ichigo hesitated, before stepping forwards. Soi Fon's head snapped around, and grey eyes found him in a moment as her hand tightened around the not-sword in her hand. Ichigo raised his hand in the universal gesture of a non-threat, and the petite female winced ever so slightly as her eyes darted around the yard.

That was curious. Ichigo didn't expect her to be remorseful for kicking their asses. He would have thought she'd pin the blame on their weakness, instead.

Soi Fon hung her head for a moment, before apparently deciding on a course of action. She vanished in a flash of Shunpo, and Ichigo's hands fell to his side once again as he heard a grumble of annoyance come from inside his skull. Externally, he echoed his Zanpakutos' sentiment before his Reiryoku gathered around his feet and he, too, moved faster than the eye can see. He didn't have any trouble finding Soi Fon's reiatsu signature, oddly, and followed as it appeared in the woods quite far from their location.

Ichigo wondered why she had headed there in the half-second it took him to appear next to her. The hybrid landed smoothly on his feet, and opened his mouth to speak as he raised a hand to tap Soi Fon on the shoulder.

Then, she vanished again.

Ichigo followed, and found himself stood on the roof of one of the civilian shopping district's; Soi Fon fled a heartbeat later, and Ichigo followed without hesitation this time.

He was vaguely aware of the fact that the rooftop cracked as he was propelled towards Soi Fon's destination. That she had not stopped before he started meant the pair arrived within a millisecond of each other. And Ichigo had time to get out a word.

"Wait-" Soi Fon vanished, and Ichigo couldn't tell if she had heard him or not. Ichigo followed her progress in his mind, and Shunpo'd after the fleeing female with confusion in his mind.

"Why are-" Ichigo was speaking before he had touched the floor, yet Soi Fon ignored.

"You refusing-" He appeared next to her again, but Soi Fon was already moving away.

"Oh, fuck this." Ichigo drew a blade, spun the Katana in his hand and followed Soi Fon once again. She had Flashed twice in the time it took him to retrieve Nejibana and activate her Shika, and so Ichigo covered the larger distance while bumping up the power of his Shikai's effect.

Ichigo arrived and had time to see Soi Fon preparing to jump again before the wave of icy water crashed into her. The shocked gasp told him he had succeeded in taking her off guard, and that she was now on her rear told him that the wave had knocked her off her feet.

"Will you stop running?!" He exclaimed. "How the fuck am I meant to tell you that I like you if you don't listen to me?!"

"You… you…" Soi Fon stood, breathing in quick short breaths, and levelled a glare on Ichigo. "BASTARD!" In a burst of Reiryoku, the captain appeared next to him. And a leg swept his feet out from under him.

Ichigo made a noise of confusion at suddenly being on the ground; he didn't have time to phrase it more eloquently before finding a blade pressed against his chin.

"WHAT WAS THAT- for…" Soi Fon's temperament changed rather suddenly, and Ichigo found himself concerned at the suddenly blank expression where seconds before had been outrage. "D-Did… did you just say…

"Soi Fon?" Ichigo voiced his worry. "Are you okay?"

The Captain's voice was small when she finally answered. "Did you just say you like me?" Her blade was trembling, and the girl did not seem to notice that that fact was concerning Ichigo.

"I did… but that's no reason to slit my throat…" He swallowed nervously as she suddenly glared at the blade pressed against him. Then, she seemed to realise it was hers, and her hand was holding it there and moved it away with a slightly sheepish expression.

Ichigo watched her get over the embarrassment and steel herself. From her place crouched at his side, Soi Fon looked at his lips and wet her own. Ichigo stayed still; moving seemed like a bad plan of action right now.

Soi Fon slowly began to lean towards him. Ichigo raised his head to meet her part-way. Their lips neared.

"ICHIGO!" A voice interrupted. Both Captain-level fighters were taken off guard and quickly rectified the fact by pulling away from the near kiss. Ichigo's eyes found the source of the noise, and found Rukia staring at him.

"Yeah?" He asked, in what was hopefully a nonchalant tone but that he suspected had a distinctly higher pitch than normal.

Rukia frowned at him. Her eyes moved to Soi Fon, then back to Ichigo. They returned to Soi Fon, and the Captain returned the dirty look before speaking.

"What is it, Kuchiki?"

"Nii-san!" Rukia was pulled back to the pleasant by some thought, and Ichigo sat up as she elaborated the thought. "He's being attacked! At Eleventh Division!"

Ichigo took a moment before replying. "Yeah? So?"

Rukia looked shocked. "He's- They're- He was taken off guard! It isn't honourable! Captain Zaraki is trying to kill him!"

"Huh. Fine, I'll head over there." Ichigo sighed, and found Soi Fon stood next to him.

"If the issue is as serious as you say, Kuchiki, I should be in attendance. As head of the Punishment Corps, I will have the authority to deal with Zaraki if he has stepped out of line." Soi Fon nodded as if to herself before taking hold of Ichigo's arm. "Come."

The hybrid human was dragged along side Soi Fon as she Shunpo'd to the Eleventh Division barracks, and found that it was very uncomfortable. As in felt-like-his-arm-was-being-dislocated uncomfortable.

As a result, Ichigo rubbed his shoulder when they arrived to alleviate the soreness. And, so, it took a moment for him to register the scene before his eyes.

Byakuya Kuchiki was stood with the hilt of his Zanpakuto in hand, and a cloud of rose petals swirling in front of him in a cutting tornado. Below the cloud, a pair of calves protruded. From inside the Shikai, a voice laughed.

"You'll have to better than that!" Ichigo recognised the voice as belonging to Kenpachi moments before the man swept his sword in an arc, opened a hole in the technique, and lunged through at Byakuya with his sword raised to strike.

"Hado #33: Sokatsui." Byakuya spoke in his monotonous voice, with his hand extended in front of him. A jet of blue energy leapt from his hand, and engulfed the charging captain as Byakuya's petals returned to his side ready to defend him.

When the blue fire receded, Kenpachi Zaraki was unmarked and grinning. He didn't bother to speak again and instead leapt forwards with his sword gripped in his right hand. He brought the unnamed Zanpakuto down in a savage blow, attempting to cleave Byakuya in two, and his grin did not subside when the cloud of petals came from the side and knocked his blade off course. Instead, the Captain just laughed again and did something Ichigo was sure Byakuya considered unthinkable; his unarmed hand clenched into a fist, swung out, and connected with the other Shinigami's nose.

As Byakuya stumbled back, taken off guard, Kenpachi raised his sword. Ichigo believed that he would have ended the fight then and there had Soi Fon not interrupted.

"Captain Zaraki!" The man turned his head to get a look at who had spoken and Soi Fon continued. "What are you doing?!"

"Eh? What's it look like?" Zaraki leant his blade on his shoulder and turned to face Ichigo and Soi Fon.

"It looks like you are attacking a fellow captain without provocation!" Soi Fon answered.

"Yeah, that sounds about right." Zaraki shrugged. "'S part of the punishment your boyfriend gave him."

Soi Fon turned ever so slightly pink, and Ichigo wondered if the others present would notice. "That punishment was to take place in a controlled environment! Under the supervision of at least three other captains! How dare you ignore the Captain Commander's orders?!"

"I got bored." Zaraki answered promptly. "Why should I have to wait, when we're gonna fight some time?!"

"Because it's against the law to just attack a fellow Shinigami, especially a Captain!" Soi Fon returned. "You are fortunate that we're preparing for war, or you would be disciplined for attacking Captain Kuchiki!"

"Pff. The old man would just make me do some paperwork. No-one'll care that the traitor got attacked." Kenpachi waved off her anger, and scratched the back of his head with his Zanpakuto.

Soi Fon fumed silently, but the confrontation was prevented from continuing as she and Ichigo both sensed incoming Reiatsu signatures beyond Rukia who had apparently gone to alert others to the current situation; Ichigo wondered briefly why she had gone to him first.

In a muted flash, the Captains of Divisions 7, 8 and 10 appeared in the vicinity, as well as their Lieutenants. Toshiro Hitsugaya had his hand on his blade's hilt and Sajin Komamura had his drawn and held aloft.

"What's goin' on here, Captain Soi Fon?" Shunsui asked the lawful captain, with an eyebrow raised and an easygoing smile on his face. Ichigo noted that the hilts of both his blades were uncovered by the pink Kimono the senior captain wore; he'd be able to draw them more quickly that way.

Yoruichi arrived as he finished talking, and Ichigo noted Soi Fon's stiffening at the Goddess of Flash's appearance. It wasn't all that surprising, and he couldn't blame Soi for her aggravation.

"Myself and Ichigo Kurosaki received word from Rukia Kuchiki that her brother, Byakuya Kuchiki, had been attacked by Captain Zaraki and came here immediately in an attempt to intervene. The two were engaged in a fight when we arrived, and I feel it is safe to say that Kenpachi Zaraki was both instigator and aggressor." She glared at the bell-wearing captain who now looked bored, and continued. "By all appearances he was attempting to engage Captain Kuchiki in a brawl to the death."

"Is this true, Captain Zaraki?" Shunsui asked, without any hint of worry in his tone.

"Yeah," Kenpachi answered, equally unconcerned with the subject matter.

"Hm." Kyoraku made a noise of acknowledgement, but Soi Fon apparently did not consider this adequate.

"How do you expect him to be punished, Captain Kyoraku?" She asked, with a frown.

"Punished?" Shunsui sounded surprised. "He probably won't be. No harm was done, and there's gonna be a fight between them soon anyway. Maybe Captain Zaraki'll get a slap on the wrist, but this ain't out of character. Yama-jii knows 'bout Captain Zaraki's tendencies." To be honest, Ichigo agreed with him on the point; one didn't hire a Kenpachi without knowing him to be psychotic. Obviously, he didn't voice this.

Soi Fon bristled, and would have spoken again if she wasn't interrupted. Ichigo hadn't realised how much the Second Division Captain hated Zaraki, but guessed it was the contrast between composure and bloodlust.

"Calm down, little Bee." Yoruichi said, in an almost reassuring tone. "The Captain Commander will weigh the situation, and isn't going to act rashly. Especially since he's in charge now, instead of being subservient to the Central 46. We need Captain Zaraki for the war to come, remember."

"I know that!" Soi Fon's composure slipped at her ex-mentor's words, though Ichigo couldn't say if it was the use of the nickname or the implication that she didn't understand that Kenpachi would be of use. "But attacking one's allies goes against the law of the Soul Society! It can't be excused! Especially not at a time like this, when our own are betraying us!"

"Oh, lighten up," Yoruichi berated softly. "Zaraki isn't betraying us. Byakuya owes him a fight anyway." Speaking of which, Ichigo noted that Kenpachi was eyeing the Kuchiki noble almost hungrily. Maybe the fight should take place sooner rather than later.

Soi Fon's jaw clenched, and everyone was silent as her hand twitched towards her sheathed Zanpakuto. Ichigo felt a twinge of worry at the idea of her attacking Yoruichi; neither came out of the first battle unscathed, and the ill-will that time had fallen away quite easily. It seemed as though Soi Fon was more affected by this betrayal of trust than the previous; he guessed because it was far more recent than Yoruichi's leaving.

Ichigo debated intervening, even as Soi Fon's eyes lit up, and she came up with a plan to get back at the shapeshifting goddess. Ichigo first noticed a frown appear on Yoruichi's face, as he was stood next to Soi Fon, and then followed her gaze to the black haired female. She had a wicked smirk on her face, and Ichigo found himself irrationally nervous as Soi Fon turned to face him.

Then, the smirk flickered into a genuine smile. She stood on her tiptoes, and raised her hands to take hold of Ichigo's face and pull him down to meet her.

His mind went blank, as she kissed him, and Ichigo vaguely noted the sound of a growl from the sidelines as he sank into the feeling of Soi Fon's soft lips against his.


	28. Interrupted by a Kick

**Long time. Sorry 'bout that, but I'm having trouble mustering up motivation currently. A side effect of having five stories on the go and stuff in real life that takes priority over any of them. Thanks for the patience, though.**

**And as a reminder, I own nothing you recognise from Canon Bleach. Or Canon anything else, for that matter.**

Ichigo's eyes fluttered open, and displayed his confusion to any who would look into them. Of course, nobody was near enough to do so considering the cause of his befuddled mind-state.

'Hey,' A voice inside his head objected, as he struggled to form a thought. 'Where'd she go?' Nejibana asked in an annoyed tone, frowning. Ichigo had no answer for her, as he stared at the spot that had, only moments before, contained his… uh, Soi Fon. What she was to him would have to wait for a later conversation on the subject. Ichigo's right hand raised to touch the non-existent face of the beautiful captain, and his hand passed through the space; of course it passed through the space. What had he been thinking? The whole point of his confusion was that he couldn't feel her lips against his any more.

And that was annoying. It had been… nice. Nicer than he could have expected from a kiss; how could it have been so… nice?

_Thump_. Ichigo blinked. Then he turned his head to the left, looking towards the source of the noise. And found it.

Soi Fon was lying flat on her back with an expression on her face matching what Ichigo felt. Pure confusion. Obviously, she didn't know what had happened to end their kiss either.

Did the woman standing between he and she with her leg extended?

"Lady Yoruichi?" Soi Fon asked, frowning at her ex-mentor from the ground. "What's going… did you kick me?"

Ichigo couldn't see Yoruichi's face from his position, but something about the expression had attracted Soi Fon's attention.

The smaller female sprang to her feet, and Ichigo's eyes followed the movement as she fell into a fighting stance, with the majority of her weight resting on her back foot, with anger creasing her brow. He recognised it as one of the base forms of Hakuda that she frequently used. Come to think of it, so did Yoruichi. Was something special about it?

'_I believe that it allows for a fast transition into Hoho techniques._' Zangetsu offered. Soi Fon's right fist closed.

'That isn't important! Ichigo, you have to stop this before they start-'

Soi Fon moved in a blur, and Ichigo's eyes barely followed the movement as her fist buried itself in Yoruichi's abdomen. The movement was quick enough that the purple-haired exile and physics both seemed to take a moment to realise what had happened. When they did, however, Yoruichi was thrown backwards with force that betrayed Soi Fon's harmful intention.

This was further punctuated by the petite captain springing forwards in a burst of Shunpo, and intercepting Yoruichi's flight with a hammer-kick that slammed Yoruichi into the ground and surprised everyone present.

In the time it took Ichigo to blink once, Yoruichi was on her feet and her own foot was swinging in an arc that connected with Soi Fon's raised forearm. The impact sent out a pulse of Reiatsu, and this told Ichigo that, had it been any Shinigami below the level of a Captain, the blow would have left the blocking limb broken and battered.

His brain started moving again, and Ichigo wondered if he should stop this.

'Yes! Yes, you _should _stop this! Preferably before they KILL EACH OTHER!' Nejibana berated him, and Ichigo blinked. His fuzzy mind was still slowly catching up to what was going on, and what had happened.

Soi Fon had been moved slightly by the blow, as was indicated by the indentations her feet made in the floor as it happened. But she held the advantage now, and Yoruichi's expression showed she knew it. In the attempt to attack, the Flash Goddess had neglected her defense, and Soi Fon took a hold of her ankle. Then, she… did something martial-arts related. Far more complex than anything Ichigo knew, it seemed very effective as she sent Yoruichi into the sky while maintaining her grip on the leg, and darted upwards herself to plant a foot in Yoruichi's throat.

Then, Yoruichi blocked it with her uncaptured foot. Ichigo blinked again at the fact that the exile had done so effortlessly, and would have marvelled at the flexibility had blinking not resulted in missing another position-change. Yoruichi had somehow freed herself from the hold, and both were now in mid-air exchanging blows faster than the average eye could follow. Of course most of the observers were well above average, and so could follow the complexity of their enraged attacks, and could see that, if one's defences fell, the other would surely capitalise and land a finishing blow. It spoke of their skill that neither faltered for a moment.

Ichigo knew what the outcome would be, as unhappy as he was with the knowledge, before it came.

Soi Fon's hand went for her blade, almost certainly to unleash her Shikai, and took a hold of the hilt. She began to draw, and triumph shone in Yoruichi's eyes. While Suzumebachi would give Soi Fon an advantage, the act of drawing the blade took a second she did not have to spare, and removed one of the Captain's limbs from the fight.

The Shihoin fighter knocked the other hand away with her right forearm, and blocked an attempted kick from Soi Fon with her left. And her own leg struck out, and slammed into Soi Fon's side.

Even from his place on the ground, Ichigo heard the _crack_ of Soi Fon's ribs. And one of the voices inside his head snarled as another cursed and his own brow fell into a deep, concerned frown.

Soi Fon seemed to stay in place for a moment, as she processed what had just happened. Then, she coughed a splatter of blood and rocketed into the ground off to the left of the spectators. She hit the floor and rolled and tumbled.

And then stood up, her free left hand resting on her broken ribs as the other held Suzumebachi precariously. "Sting all enemies to death… _Suzumebachi_." She whispered. And in a moment the blade had shone with a bright yellow light, and shrunken to the thin gauntlet in the shape of a stinger that was her Shikai. Ichigo's eyes, however, remained on Soi's side with worry clear in them to anyone had they been paying attention to him instead of the two who were fighting.

Yoruichi appeared on the ground in front of her estranged apprentice with a rare serious expression. Each woman stared the other down with intensity in their gaze. And then, seemingly spontaneous on both parts, they burst into action again.

But Ichigo's original assumption was only fortified by Soi Fon's injury. She had already lost this fight once, and fighting in her current condition meant, no matter how determined the captain of Second division might be, she stood little to no chance of victory.

And Ichigo could no longer tune out the two voices demanding that he act, or the ominous feeling his oldest non-lingual spirit was projecting. He didn't _want _to intervene… or he didn't _want_ to want to intervene might be more accurate, for the sake of Soi Fon's pride; she would be upset with him, surely, if he stopped the fight. But if he didn't…

Yoruichi had a trio of butterfly-style tattoos on her torso, each no more than two centimetres from the others. On her left wrist, the goddess of the Flash had another, having sacrificed that point to prevent Soi Fon from landing the killing blow.

Soi Fon's injuries were more significant, as she had failed to land a second strike on any Suzumebachi's marks. Her left arm had taken the entirety of one of Yoruichi's blows, and the strength of that attack had left it hanging limply next to her. Most likely, the elbow-joint had a serious fracture, as that was where Yoruichi's kick had landed specifically. Ichigo guessed that there was a jawline fracture, as the purple-haired exile had clipped her ex-pupil's chin. The captain was also favouring her right leg, though it seemed to support some of her weight when needed.

As if to punctuate this, she shot forwards with her shikai poised to strike.

Yoruichi's eyes widened. And then Soi missed a step, faltering and distracted by pain originating from one of multiple injuries. The were-cat spun out of her opponent's path, and as Soi Fon stumbled past, not expecting the avoidance, completed her rotation with her foot raised. Yoruichi brought it down on Soi Fon's left shoulder, the nearer of two, and the injured captain slammed into the ground. It cratered.

Ichigo watched through the dust that was raised, as Soi's mouth opened in a agonised cry. It closed a moment after, but it made its impact; the voices in his head clamoured over and over one another as they spoke to their wielder.

Ichigo filtered through them; the anger of Hichigo was the loudest. Followed by Nejibana's indignant voice. Under that, Kikoo was just… unhappy; disapproving; Ichigo couldn't put it into words. Then, there were the two that, though quieter than the rest, stood out. They were more… deliberate.

Tabigarasu's growl was _worse_ than Ichigo had heard before. The sound resonated within him more than he could ever recall previously, as the oldest of his spirits tried to express worry for the woman who was making Ichigo happy and more importantly, as Ichigo correctly interpreted, for Ichigo's happiness as another person for whom he cared tried to take Soi Fon away from him. The rumbling sound told Ichigo he needed to do something, and Zangetsu reinforced this fact with a simple, calmly worded statement.

'_She is in pain, Ichigo. Disregard her pride; only then can you help her to understand_.'

Yoruichi's expression fell into a smirk, as she peered at the cloud of dust Soi Fon had raised. In that moment, she was not the person she strived for. Some of the worst parts of Yoruichi Shihoin were also the ones that had helped her advance to the pedestal on which she stood. Her ruthlessness had been necessary as head of the Punishment corps of the Onmitsukido, and the sadism she had tried to squash in the hundred years hence had never truly died. How could it, in the presence of Kisuke Urahara? They, at that moment in time, were fed by the pride that was born of being a Shihoin princess; the spoilt child who had wanted for nothing until now would not let Soi Fon have what she deemed _hers_. Wouldn't accept defeat when it came to Ichigo; _they_ were meant to be together, not he and Soi, and she was willing to do anything for him.

A Cheshire-grin spread across Yoruichi's face, as she caught sight of a small figure in the cloud, hunched over and shaking.

"Come on, Little Bee," She said sweetly, and crossed her arms over her ample chest. "Where's that fierce exterior gone? How can you expect to beat me like _this_? How can you expect to win anything when you're so… very… _pathetic_." The Goddess of the Flash said, slowly to highlight the condescension in her tone.

The figure rose slowly, as though dearly injured, and Yoruichi spoke again.

"That's more like it, Little Bee. At least this way your last moments won't bring shame to Ichigo for laying his lips on yo-" Yoruichi's eyes widened, and she appeared ten metres away with her hand pressed to her throat. She gasped, as an ink-black butterfly spread beneath her fingers, and her eyes locked onto Soi Fon, stood in the spot she had just evacuated.

Steel-grey eyes, as hard as the metal itself, bored into pools of gold as the current captain stood motionless with her Shikai still extended from her dodged second strike.

"_Bakudo #1_: _Sai_." Soi Fon's voice was quiet; Yoruichi missed the word, and so her surprise was understandable.

"What the- Are you really this desperate, Soi? You know my Reiryoku is stronger than yours; what's the poi-" She was cut off by Flash-Stepping from danger again, and then continued with a frown. "You aren't going to catch me out twice, Little Bee." The stinger of Soi Fon's Shikai had skimmed Yoruichi's throat, but the dodge had been inevitable.

Yoruichi scowled at her ex-protege, and the cold fury in Soi's eyes; that was part of captaincy that the younger of the two of them had mastered to a greater degree. Soi Fon was icy during battle, to the point that it was unnerving even to Yoruichi that no emotion was coming from the grey eyes she knew well. Yoruichi was smart enough to know that Soi was not being quiet for the sake of shyness, not in this case at least; she was _thinking_, and a plan of attack from her opponent was not welcome in Yoruichi's mind.

So she would have to end the fight _now_. Before the tables could be turned. She should have done so already, but cats like to play with their food.

She vanished, in a single step of Shunpo and, as she appeared in front of Soi Fon, Yoruichi _attacked_. Her foot swung through the air, to strike Soi Fon in the side of the head. And then it stopped.

It took Yoruichi half a second to register the sight before her. And when she did, the air froze in her chest as she stared into burning crimson eyes sat in the face of her desired.

"_**Stop**_." That wasn't Ichigo's voice. Below the surface, she could hear his words, but the familiar tones were covered by something _dark_. A gravelly, deep voice that belonged in a _demon_'s maw, not coming from the mouth Ichigo Kurosaki.

She couldn't stop looking at him; her eyes were frozen on the rage-filled gaze directed at her for what felt like an eternity as she awaited death. She couldn't breathe, couldn't move, couldn't even _think_ beyond the fear that was gripping her heart.

And then he looked away, turning his head to stare at Soi Fon. When had she passed out? How had she? Yoruichi hadn't had the time to strike her, so who…

'MOVE!' That was her own voice, urging her to flee. But… why couldn't she? How was she trapped in place?

Her eyes moved to her ankle, in the grip of whatever was possessing Ichigo. The palm of his hand had sapphire veins snaking across his skin, but Yoruichi discounted that for the time-being. She had more important things to worry about; namely _getting out of here_.

No. No, she couldn't run; Ichigo would be _lost_ if she didn't help him. But _could_ she help him? How could she go about freeing him from this monster's clutches?

She would need help. The Captain-commander. He was the one most likely to know what the hell this meant, and she felt certain that he would want to protect such a valuable ally.

So her plan had two steps. She would free herself, and then fetch the Genryusai Yamamoto. And… and she would grab Soi Fon. She couldn't leave her to the clutches of… _this_.

As Yoruichi readied herself, preparing to use _Shunko_ to put not-Ichigo down long enough to act properly, she took a slow, deep breath.

And Ichigo heard her. He turned and frowned at the purple-haired woman.

"_**Why would **_**you** _do_ this, Yoruichi? Why do you keep hurting her?"

He vanished, and with him went Soi Fon's unconscious form.

Yoruichi stumbled back with wide eyes, as something crept into the pit of her stomach. Self-loathing, she would later name it.

As her eyes moved to the spot Ichigo had been holding, and found the shallow-cutting claw marks, it dawned on her how he must have viewed her at that moment. How similar it must have been to the thought she had had seeing those burning red eyes, and that he wouldn't be wrong. What did humans call jealousy? A green monster? So what did that make her, to be ruled by the horrid emotion?

What was wrong with her?

-()()-

"I'll fix that later," Ichigo sighed, glancing back at the wooden wall he had demolished. He must have missed that last time he was here, because he had no recollection of Soi Fon's room having a division between her sleeping area and the entrance. He carefully shifted the weight of the girl in his arms, and took a slow step towards her bed; her healing would be an easier experience if she stayed asleep, according to Old man Zangetsu.

Ichigo wondered if he should be worried; Soi Fon's pride was substantial, and he had interrupted her fight. Hopefully, that would not jeopardise their relationship before it began.

'I doubt it could, Ichigo.' Nejibana assured him. 'Considering the time the two of you have been dancing around it, I expect you would have to do something exceedingly silly to ruin what you have. Since you were acting in _her_interest, I am sure Soi will see reason.'

'**In case she doesn't, I rec-**'

'If you do as your idiot aspect will no doubt suggest, though, I doubt she will be forgiving. Women are not very forgiving when it comes to being molested in their sleep.'

'**Molest's such an ugly word! I prefer the term 'slumber party'!**'

'That doesn't change the fact that you are trying to sabotage Ichigo's relationship through molestation! Whatever you call it, it is a disgusting thing to suggest!'

'**Agree to disagree! I think I'm being romantic, and that Ichigo should follow my lead to tell her how he feels!**'

'Via a romantic gesture! Not… not _that_, you disgusting Hollow!'

'Guys! Please shut up, you're fucking with my Reiryoku again!' Ichigo berated, with a concerned glance at the unconscious captain and the frown that had darkened her expression as the two argued. 'I get that you don't like each other, but it can wait?' His mental tone was exasperated, and the two unhappily fell silent.

Ichigo gently set her down on the soft surface, and exhaled a sigh through his nose. Then, he brushed a strand of hair from her forehead and his hand lingered on the slightly slick skin; she was sweating from the injury, Ichigo believed. She couldn't have bad enough luck to have fallen ill at the same time as all of this was happening; not when Shinigami with high Reiatsu were so well protected from any and all sickness. And yet he was worried about her.

The Reiryoku Ichigo gave her was turquoise; a mixture of the healthy healing green and his own blue reiatsu. Soi Fon stilled at receiving the energy, and Ichigo smiled softly at the serenity that seeped into her expression. He stayed there for a moment, and then a comment reached him.

'**You're bein' creepy, King. Why're you watching 'er sleep?**'

That killed the mood Ichigo had been enjoying, and he stood slowly so as not to disturb her. He turned, and slowly walked out of the room. This time, she didn't complain. For some reason, Ichigo felt it was because his Reiryoku was still working on healing her.

Or maybe she was just in a better mental state at the moment, even if she was injured physically. The hybrid man didn't know, and had a feeling she would not want to divulge it to him.

As he stepped out of the building, Ichigo moulded the Reiatsu around his feet, and pushed himself up onto the nearest building. There, he was still as he listened to the quiet in his mind.

He sat on the rooftop, scratched his cheek, and thought on the events of the day. A lot had happened, and something new had come to light.

Yoruichi was in the wrong. Obviously, she was; Soi Fon only escaped serious injury by chance and his action. But would the teacher have killed her student?

He didn't think so. Ichigo was sure that Yoruichi cared about Soi; that she would have stopped before she'd done anything irreparable. Most likely, she would have had a guilt trip, and brought Soi Fon to the Medics of the Fourth Division, and everything would have been made right eventually. If this meant that their… friendship would be repaired, and ignoring the causation of the fight, that left only one problem that Ichigo needed to deal with.

Because, while Yoruichi would not have taken a life today, Ichigo had been far too close for comfort.

He, and Tabigarasu through him, only avoided striking Yoruichi because… well, because it was Yoruichi. In that situation, or in any situation like it, with anyone other than the handful of people Ichigo cared deeply about, the outcome would have been less favourable. That he would have struck them wasn't even a question. If he was lucky, maybe Tabigarasu wouldn't have been so close to the surface. If that was the case, there was less chance of the Shikai accidentally forming, and that meant that Ichigo's strike would have been survivable for all of the captains, and likely most of the Lieutenants.

But what about the others?

What if one of his _human_ friends did something to aggravate him? Kami knows how annoying Keigo could be; Ichigo could _so easily_ hit him and not even think twice about it. It was a habit long-since ingrained in him, to punch the needy boy in the face to put down his excitement.

And the way Ichigo was now, that would result in him killing his friend.


End file.
